The top 25 pop hits of 2009, all in one terrific mash-up

I like! Enjoy!

Oh.. My..

"Back problem," eh? Here's to a total and full recovery for Rush, in time for the subsequent investigations! As Fox News says: "We wish him well."

Didn't see that one comin'.. Oh; wait a minute, Yeah I Did..

Majority Of Tea Party Group's Spending Went To GOP Firm That Created It. (This is the same link as below)

What? Republicans involved in a Massive Financial Corruption Scandal? I feel faint..
This is an email sent to George Ure(Urban Survival--Awesome site--check it):

Remember that I told you the web URLs's and "tea party" names and the strategy was set up a year earlier (mid 2008) by some old-line Republican Party operators?
Now the accounting is getting done, and guess what? Millions of dollars donated by righteously angry Tea Party suckers was spent on -- you guessed it -- paying the Republican consultants that set up the scam in the first place.

Here's the stuff on the Tea Party Express, who managed to siphon off over two thirds of the donations right back into their own pockets as "consultants" to the Tea Party "movement" Majority Of Tea Party Group's Spending Went To GOP Firm That Created It.

This blows away the petty crimes ACORN is accused of, and strangely enough, never has been convicted of.

George, it's time for you to get the joke:

They (the right/left parties of corpgov) are not equally guilty. One of our major political parties, (and just one) is an organized crime syndicate that murders American soldiers for profit and sets out with the intention of stealing as much as they can, as fast as they can from their fellow citizens.

The other one is a loosely associated bunch of people that includes quite a few shoplifters...."

It's great that you're concerned about the economic direction of this country. Just remember to be as aware as possible when assigning blame. Maybe blame those responsible for destroying our country's entire economic foundation. That process was greatly accelerated, oh, about November of 2000.. That's a little point in the right direction..

Little Girl LIKES Atomic Bombs..

It's no longer "if," but "when" India and Pakistan go to war, thanks in part to this meddling teenager.. (From Godlike Productions, of course)


This girl's entry and involvement into this geopolitical situation will probably end very badly. Here's why: (By the way, I'd use her name if I could find it, but as of yet, no such luck..)


Teenage novelty acts, especially any prodigious talent, play well in any arena, including politics. With her oratory skills, she will develop a large and devoted following. Which brings us to.. her Oratory Skills..


She has the stage presence, intensity, and speaking abilities of someone much, much older. She is a natural born Orator. She might even be re-incarnated, or interpreted as such, her talent is so large.. But that's precisely the problem.

She has the fire, cadence, and charisma of a much older soul, but she either has the undeveloped right wing - vengeance - retribution views her parents or town carries, or her hatred runs deep from at least one other lifetime. These are not the belief driven actions of your average tween or teen! So, to recap.. she has never had a thoughtful examination of her beliefs, or she's had too thoughtful of an examination of her beliefs..

She will inspire great subjective support by those that think in the same subjective manner as she does. Passion, Projection, and Deification could run very high among her supporters. She could be mythologized with extra-spiritual implications. Violence is a defining aspect of her popularity and purpose.

Pakistanis, or other Indians with conflicting agendas, will contend she must be stopped. And there will be attempts. After all, a lightning rod attracts lightning. Maybe they'll succeed, maybe they won't. And tensions within the region will escalate.

Not to mention Blame, for the attempt or successful attempt on her life. The blame could focus on the Pakistanis, naturally, at first, then to any number of more local provocateurs, who might oppose her supporters' agenda. An attempt on her life is a good enough justification to escalate activities against her opponents whomever they may be.

And then, escalation, locally or regionally, will occur.

This is a potential scenario, and there are many more, but you get it. Who is this little girl? Will her popularity fade, or rise? Are we witnessing the introduction of a right wing populist juggernaut in the form of an angry child? The 1.3 BILLION people that live there (India population; Pakistan population) will know.. soon..

Merry Christmas everyone!

Antarctica's sea secrets revealed

But how do they taste?

Actress Brittany Murphy Dead at 32

Story. I'm gonna miss you, Luanne..

The crazies live in Branson. The lunatics live in Springfield.

Man stabbed by ice pick in beef over parking spot.

Incredible New Documentary: "Quantum Communication"

15 part series here.

Just In Case You'd Forgotten About Volcanoes..

This one's pretty immediate, but not super-serious worldwide.. And:
Something less pressing, but much more.. Cataclysmic. Bonus: It's worse than scientists had previously thought!

Previously undiscovered ancient city found on Caribbean sea floor

Amazing.
So.. how old is this? I've got a guess..

I knew those top parts just took off and flew around when everyone's asleep..

UFO Pyramid Over Kremlin in Moscow? Amazing hoax, or the real thing? You decide.

Something Wicked This Way Comes.. maybe..

Norway Portal freaks out Internet masses..

Mystery Light Show Dazzles Web

Telefonstorm etter mystisk lysfenomen i Nord-Norge !!(I'm guessing..)

Do not know what the mysterious giant spiral is (trhough Google Translate)

The 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods

Numbers two and three hit me where I live. Man, that sucks! Not surprising, but sucks! nonetheless..

Super Collider Punked Once Again By Time Cops From Another Dimension

LHC knocked out by ANOTHER power failure. Aww yeah, the Future-CERN-As-Destroyer theory gains a little bit more credibility.. (From AboveTopSecret, by the way..)

Now, this is getting interesting! There is a theme posited by the Webbots regarding "The War Across Time." If this theory is true, might that be an accurate description?

LHC Back Online; World Not Vapor.. Yet

Large Hadron Collider sets world energy record. And it's not even fully powered up. I hope this doesn't end badly..

Finding Our Community - Conscious Fellowships of Friends

The latest from Robert Wilkinson.

Dubai's Broke and We're Fucked

Interview with Max Keiser on Russia Today.

Sidenote: If you can't buy gold; buy silver. Also, canned goods and toilet paper.

Random Responses, Comments, And Thoughts Pertaining To The Onion's 50 Best Albums Of The OO's.

This will be a pretty big post. I'll be working in increments. Keep checking back!

46. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther (2006)

This album feels as if it could have been released in 1978 Southern California/America, but in a similar parallel universe where society's acceptance of hidden knowledge and the occult was a bit more mainstream. Equal parts beautiful and weird, it just floats along in this universe filled with thieves and introverts, persecuted scientists, overworked-to-the-point-of-abused wives, and 300 year old giants. The experience is somewhat like the following, fading seconds of a pee-chill: Euphoric, intense, subtle, and in no way, unpleasant.

This was for sure the work of some introvered personalities.

39. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009)

After four months, I still haven't listened to this CD to its end. I will eventually, but I'm not in a hurry. It's not that the music is bad; it's not. The songs are complex, beautiful, and.. overpowering. For me, they take energy to listen to them! You should be fully engaged in listening, and if you're not, Veckatimest will test your patience. The music shifts backdrops without warning, and casual listening would be confusing.

There are some amazing sounds here, but I can handle three, maybe four tracks in one sitting. I don't think, though, this record would have made my top 50.

38. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)

There are songs (and elements of songs) on Return to Cookie Mountain that rate in the "All Time Favorite" category. No one does "Wall of Sound" quite like TV on the Radio. "Playhouses" may be the closest thing to a sonic hurricane you'll ever hear. Headphones are required. Also, I thought this would rate quite a lot higher on the list. Surprising.

37. Justin Timberlake - Justified (2002)

Although I liked Justin Timberlake ("Cry Me A River" remains a great, great pop song), I didn't buy "Justified" and wasn't planning to. My niece ended up getting it for me, and wow! I'm so glad she did! "Justified" and Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black" are the two great Blue Eyed Soul records of the last ten years. Where Winehouse reworked Soul's heyday of the 60's, Timberlake's record was Here, Now, and Groovy. Dancing to "Rock Your Body" never gets old.

29. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash (2003)

A surprising choice and rank. Stylistically, Basement Jaxx are all over the dance music map, tapping into the rhythms of the moment without ever feeling forced or plagerized. I got Kish Kash in 2003 and really liked it (along with 2001's Rooty), but didn't focus on the artistry as much as the groove. The album smokes along, switching gears and changing beats, and everything (for the most part) works.

Being an experimental dance record, I didn't see a slot open, much less within the Top 30. But after listening again; ok. Kish Kash still sounds fresh and energetic, full of that undefinable resonance that makes your hips and mojo vibrate, long before you're even moving. Awesome grooves. Great record? Yeah. Sure!

26. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (2006)

I went on a blind date with a guy who had "You Know I'm No Good" on his ringtone for his ex-boyfriend's calls. And, during the date, he called a lot. The Ex was supposedly rich, and going to give this guy a million dollars to buy a guest house in Eureka Springs. My date forgot his wallet, so I had to buy his drinks. Not normally a big deal, but I'd just been laid off for winter, low on funds, and _____ knew that. And he still drank almost 40 dollars by himself. I drank water. Irritating, to say the least..

And, though we chatted on the phone several more times, there wasn't a follow up date. So everything ended all right..

24. Beck - Sea Change (2002)

Awesome album. "The Golden Age" would easily fall into my favorite ten singles of the decade. Yearning and mournful and gorgeous: It is perfect.

Two prevailing memories regarding that specific song:

1. Waiting tables in the smoking section of (the old) Racines in Denver, observing the tables as the song played, watching how the people react. Restaurants ebb and flow audibly in intensity, and our guests did become more quiet the times it was on. Whether they realized it or not, they gave Beck the respect and silence "The Golden Age" deserves.

-And-

2. I worked as a country music DJ twice in my life for a total of almost seven years. What the fuck, Lance.. Yeah, I know.. During my second tenure there, after a year and a half of asking and badgering, the GM of the station let me have my own show, independent of the station's format(Generic Country Top 30, mixed with one classic or one "Branson" artist--Cripes). Officially, I got four songs an hour, but I pretty much played whatever I wanted, and management let me, or was totally unaware of how far off base I sometimes got.

So, for a time, Branson got a big dose of Alt Country, 1960's-era Country and Western, and songs by groups that would Never be considered by mainstream Country radio. Susan Tedeschi, Tift Merritt, The Flaming Lips, late period Johnny Cash and Bobby Bare (I can't think of Bare's first comeback album, but it is excellent..) Wilco, African American Country Rap star Cowboy Troy, Poco, and Beck were in rotation, to name a few. "The Golden Age" had no business on Country radio, but it seemed to fit perfectly in what my bosses had allowed me to create.

Life during my employment at the station was pretty bleak, and just knowing that others were listening to this beautiful, raw emotion of a song, hopefully feeling something from the experience.. Well, that was enough of a rebellious, creative statement to tide me over until the next little victory during a time that was painfully short on "little victories." Like Beck would ever read this, but if he does: Thank you. You helped.

20. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)

The single "One More Time" felt like the summer of 2001. Until it didn't anymore. Remember when life felt.. lighter? This song takes me back to then..

18. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)

If I close my eyes while listening to this record, I can see individual faces in a sea of people, all in slow, fluid motion, all dancing, all smiling. I'm there, too; with them, within them, dancing also. "1901" is the soundtrack, and all is right for those within that particular universe.

14. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

Hipster record of 2007. It's also the New York record of the year, Trance record of the year, and Headphone record of the year.. contender. Sound of Silver kicks ass. Strap some headphones on and get lost, or shake it like there's no tomorrow; either one works.

12. M.I.A. - Kala (2007)

I actually laughed with glee upon hearing for the first time the Bollywood chorus to "Bamboo Banger." M.I.A. pulls elements from around the world, creating this over the top, global party record housing a soul quite a bit darker than it sounds. Political, humanitarian, and EarthFunky, Kala is the perfect introduction for Westerners to the Rest of the World, and what they might create musically.

5. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

A magnificent record. If you don't own it, you should. I walked my circuits around Denver many, many times with Wilco as the soundtrack. I went nowhere without headphones, watching cars go by, the homeless on Colfax coming towards me, horse cops on the 16th Street mall, the throway kids on the corners, hipster patio diners, people waiting for the bus or train, sometimes emotionally neutral, sometimes agitated.

I remember feeling like The Observer, watching the machinations of the city without fully participating, and having the choice of accompanying music. I used to get on the shuttle, watching the occupants grow with each stop, the group slowly expanding and crushing, each time I played "War on War" at full volume. I stared at people's faces while they pretended not to notice. "There's a war on war there's a war on.. You're gonna lose.. You'll have to lose.. You'll have to learn how to die.." Watching them under these circumstances, allowed me a greater sense of their collective alienation, their self-absorbtion, their consideration, their civility, their regard for humanity, or lack thereof.. And I wondered of their futures as I looked at them looking away.

While it's probably not a period I will ever repeat, it was not entirely unpleasant, either. I learned a lot during that time of high detachment.

4. Outkast - Stankonia (2000)

One of the most wailing, sorrowful moments on record (maybe ever) happens during "Toilet Tisha." The pregnant, scared, 14 year old Tisha kills herself on the "cold porcelain" of the toilet, and her mother finds her after it is too late. Her cries of pain at the sight of her daughter are almost too much to bear. This anguish is so sincere, so overwhelming, it's hard to believe it's not real; but it is authentic. You don't really listen to "Toilet Tisha" as much as you feel it ripping you apart.

"Toilet Tisha" provides an insight as to the creative width and depth of Stankonia, and, more importantly, Outkast themselves.

3. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

If you talk to any Radiohead fanatic, their albums are perfect and they are the greatest band in the world. I'm one of Them, so yeah, you get it. I'd much rather discuss the distances I've covered listening to them, mostly walking, from place to place, in place after place.

In St. Louis, I walked from Maplewood to the Central West End (5.7 miles one way), waited tables at Cafe Balaban for lunch, then walked back home, all the while listening to The Bends. I walked or took the bus up and down Kingshighway almost daily during the summer of 1997. My places of work were in opposite directions north and south, and my home was around four miles east. I walked so much that summer, and it was so.. difficult.

St. Louis has the one-two punch of unrelenting swamp like heat and humidity, coupled with so much heat storing and reflecting concrete, ashpalt, and so.. much.. brick.. In July and August, St. Louis is not so much neighborhoods as it is a collection of gigantic, open air pizza ovens. Summers are uncomfortable for those with cars, and brutal for those without. And Ok Computer was there for me, on the northbound Kingshighway bus, walking south past Uncle Bill's, or walking east, over the new Arsenal bridge.

Kid A was much more internal. In October of 2000, I had just quit working for a non-profit in The City and County of Denver's Human Services building, and had gone back to waiting tables at Racines' in Central Denver. Very early into my time with Work Options for Women (W.O.W.), the conditions of the job became.. unsettling -disturbing - heartbreaking - insane, and it was impossible to be objective in my down time away from work. Fairly quickly, I started not going out, planning my outside chores carefully, and screening all calls/having the phone on silent. The job made it very easy for the Introvert, the Hermit, the Seven, to step through and step up.

The album didn't come out until I'd left W.O.W., but my status as Shut In was already established. Because it was Radiohead, and because favorite ablums are played obsessively until burnout, I listened to Kid A for an intense three or so months. I lived in an aparment seven blocks east of Downtown, and almost every sunset (I worked days) I would be in the sun room with the computer on, smoking a cigarette having just smoked a bowl, looking at the Denver skyline, sun reflecting, bathing warmth, glowing, and changing the geometry of the cityscape's shadows. And I'd stand there, just Boned, and think, Kid A playing, but in half-focus.

And then, the music would change. My thoughts would take backseat to whatever sounds were coming from my speakers. Minutes would pass before realizing that I'd been sucked in, and deeply. One day, I thought. "They're getting weirder, and better!" I smiled, then, as I, too, was getting weirder, and hoped that I was getting better. Eventually, the much more peaceful vibe of the restaurant began to re-socialize and heal, and I began to have more fun than before, and I began to be outside more than before.

Amnesiac was my soundtrack to the Provincetown, Massachusetts shuttlebus system. I would wait in the morning, in front of my residence in North Truro for the bus, looking down the mostly deserted 6A, waiting silently, while the wind blew. I was mostly still. Due to an influx of tourists during the late afternoon, I might get a ride on the third or fourth shuttle offered, so I'd wait, sometimes, within or on the outskirts of the group, sometimes far apart and away, watching the tourists and imagining their back stories. At night, the bus interior was always bathed in red light, and I would also imagine what my fellow travelers would be doing Next. Most scenarios involved fucking, more drinking, throwing up, fighting, or passing out. Lots of "Employee goes home; begins chores after work." Every once in a while, I'd flash on an unusual scene, like "Runaways," and "Aura fading" "Violent-look away." So I did. And then I'd resume again, Amnesiac still in my ears, fantasizing until I got home.

I'd been back in Branson about 18 months when Hail to the Thief was released. It's my least favorite Radiohead album, but it isn't bad.. I just have a lot of negativity, still, around that period. It represents to me the constant power struggles between myself and my parents, moving from liberal Denver to knee jerk Branson, freedom, to freedom-subject-to-control, and a general defeatist, bummer of a time period. I was introverted, had little contact with friends, and, almost 60 pounds heavier. A very difficult time, this was.. I think this will be enough sharing for now.

In Rainbows reflects a better time here (2007 on..)in Branson, running on a Gazelle, getting it together, driving with the windows down. That was the spring and summer of 2008. Life is calmer, more objective, benefitting from the daily yoga. I am becoming more integrated.

2. Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004)

Without comment:

"George Bush doesn't care about Black People."

1. White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)

"Seriously: Are they sister and brother or husband and wife?" I wonder how many people asked that question in the last almost nine years..

Weekly FluDoom..

Hemorrhagic H1N1 Lung flu now in USA – First seen in Ukraine.

Martial Law (All But - my addition..)Declared In Ukraine Over Mystery Epidemic.

Update from Ukraine.

Mutation in Progress?

Dr. John Cannell, MD On Vitamin D And The Flu. Encouraging..

The 50 Best Albums of the 00's

Courtesy The Onion.

Repost: Computer culture’s effect on the first wave, computer-immersed generation – 1995 (one positive, one negative thought).

pos

This generation begins assimilation and application of computer literacy, technological aptitude, and sophistication concerning medium almost from time of birth. Implications and positive theoretical advancements within discipline during the next 20 years unknowable due to generational familiarity with operation and influenced thought systems. No matter what anyone says, we really don’t know what Billy and Suzy are thinking or doing with their PCs or how they’ll use that knowledge down the road, or how their enhanced aptitude will effect society. We can’t know that yet.
And it could be…amazing.

neg

Production of desensitized waves of adults with skewed life, value, or violence priorities. Application of computer related sensibilities to worldview and corresponding behavior. Hyper-violent applications in games or on the Internet detract from life worth. History can be revised virtually unchecked. Other humans viewed as objects. Aggression viewed as viable problem-solving solution. Possible root cause for generational fracture within American culture.
Implications could be very serious.

REPOST: Bike (From Sense and Antisense)

Biking up Southard towards Duval,
Cyclists slowly climbing the incline,
All assuming similar rhythms
With the others,
The sky,
The silence of 4 p.m.

I passed two boys on bikes.
"You know how to get to yer house from here?"
"Shuh."
"Yer goin’ the wrong way."

When I stayed in Bahama Village, I’d bike home at night,
through the burnt smell of freebase clouds
that lingered,
Past the crackcrackcrack dealers
Who chanted at me without end,
Until they figured out I lived there.
Then I became invisible to them as their eyes scanned the street.

When he and I had.. problems, I would ride the island.
I remember passing Smathers Beach so many times,
Wondering what was happening..
Why were we dying, drifting, cooler..silent..
How would anything ever be right again?
The sun’s heat never distracted, rather, the pressure compounded.

I’d get on my bike and she’d get on her moped
At 3 a.m. after dancing and drinking for hours,
Her French glamour overwhelming,
The way she sways,
The loose familiarity, her knowledge of rhythm,
As the bass bomb drops,
And she dances beautifully,
With her silver backpack purse over her shoulder,
Her friendship, my singular comfort.

Smiling, we bid the other goodnight, and in a moment,
She speeds off towards home.

I go in the opposite direction,
Very slowly,
Accepting the calm that Night and my bike offer,
My eyes sweeping the streets in time with my pedaling.

Gulliver's Travels: A Documentary

Indonesian 'hobbits' are a separate species. Gnomes, Pixies, Lilliputians or Leprechauns? Maybe myths and legends from older periods had more truth to them than we've previously thought?

Repost: Two Homeless People On Duval (From "Sense and Antisense")

"Say a prayer for me; in a world of human wreckage.."
Sponge - "loaded"

They congregate at different street corners, on sidewalks, in alleys, at the beach, in boxes. They have no where else to go.

1. The man stood at the corner of Duval and Angela, with his long gray beard and his military-issue clothes and his back-pack and some kind of conic yarn hat on his head, eating from a can, never speaking. Every once in a while, he would do a goose-step type march in place to stretch out his legs, but usually one could find him there, standing and watching. At night, he would sleep on the bench where the trolleys loaded, just off the street from the corner and in the light for protection from the drunks who might get their kicks by fucking with him. He would sleep on his back with his arms folded, looking quite dead. And, for the most part, the drunks, along with everyone else, left him alone.

Some of the shopkeepers would give him food and canned goods. He was never bothersome, and even the police kept an eye out for him. He would disappear for a couple of days, sometimes appearing on the other side of the island, maybe eating from a can, then later re-appearing on his corner picking up where he’d left off.

Rumor had it he’d jumped from a Russian freighter and somehow ended up in Key West, not knowing the language, not knowing anyone. He must have left people behind, a wife, family, or friends. It was hard to look him in the eyes. He would meet curious, sympathetic, or taunting gazes with the same defiant glare.

2. For awhile, the Bearded Lady was a fixture on Duval Street, also. About 5’5" in red spike heels, maybe 90 pounds, sandy blond hair, and always in the same red dress. She reminded me of one of my junior high school teachers, which amused me, but bothered me more. Her behavior seemed to point to schizophrenia. She walked a fine line at all times. She had some serious, threatening, irrational impulses. She moved continually, walking alone through crowds of people, muttering and grimacing.

She would sometimes stop oncoming people and shouting incoherently and aggressively at them, and then move on. She always skipped me, though, as someone to attack. One time, she accosted everyone that passed, but left me alone, even looking away as we crossed. I never understood why she spared me, but I was thankful, nonetheless.

I saw her for the first time on the 800 block of Duval, in front of a restaurant claiming to be "The Best in Key West" (Along with every other damn business on the island…), but never had any patrons, nor did I meet anyone who’d actually eaten there. I had just smoked a joint and was heading into Bahama Village to pick up some friends for a game of pool. Looking down stoned at the sidewalk, I almost ran into her. She was facing the restaurant, furiously turning the pages of a Gideon Bible from right to left, looking for something.

She became aware of my presence. She whipped her head around, staring at me with a look of pure madness. I had interrupted something very, very heavy. So, after that length of a pause, I kept going, trying to remain calm, not wanting to spook her any more. It must have worked, as she resumed turning. The sounds of rustling pages were heard until I rounded the corner. Her search was incomplete; the key passage still not found.

She would show up on the Gulf side of town, wandering around, babbling and screaming, accosting and fighting, and getting thrown out of shops. She went after one cashier with a knife. Some acquaintances dubbed her the "Bearded Lady" ("Freaky as a Bearded Lady!" A friend of mine said.), and the name stuck. She was all over the place, for a while anyway. Her freaky, menacing behavior standing out as strange, even by Key West’s standards. Then she was gone.

I’d imagine she’s dead. Too many negatives on South Florida’s streets for a disoriented schizophrenic to overcome. Too much mean and evil. Maybe not, though. Maybe she’s out there, in a horrifying universe, using the wrong parts of her brain to survive, tortured by the multitudes of demons she encounters daily. Or maybe she got help and is better. I don’t know.

Maybe before.. She was someone’s friend. She was a success. She was married. She was happily single. Red has always been her favorite color.

Before she lost.. Maybe she could feel it coming. "Something is wrong with the way that I’m thinking" is something she might have thought, before. Now "before" is maybe not even a memory anymore. Her family has accepted the loss and moved on. Or maybe, they long for her return. Her mother still looks at her picture every single day.

She walked quickly, out of step with the others, looking back periodically to make sure "they" weren’t following. Her red heels clicked rhythmically on the hot pavement. The vibration of agitation and confusion trailed in her wake. I watched her pass, her head bouncing along, the sound of her clicking heels, her physical body eventually dissolving among the other bodies passing on Duval, and thought of the inevitability of her demise.

Repost: Excerpts from the Myers-Briggs Personality Type indicator on Introverted Intuitive Types INTJ and INFJ

Driven by their vision of the possibilities.
Determined to the point of stubbornness.
Intensely individualistic.
Stimulated by difficulties, and most ingenious in solving them.
Willing to concede that the impossible takes a little longer – but not much.
More interested in pioneering a new road than anything to be found along the beaten path.
Motivated by inspiration, which they value above everything else and use confidently for their best achievements in any field they choose – science, engineering, invention, political or industrial empire-building, social reform, teaching, writing, psychology, philosophy, or religion.
Deeply discontented in a routine job that offers no scope for inspiration.
Gifted, at their best, with a fine insight into the deeper meanings of things, and with a great deal of drive…

“Their greatest gifts come directly from their intuition – the flashes of inspiration, the insight into relationships of ideas and meaning of symbols, the imagination, the originality, the access to resources of the unconscious, the ingenuity, and the visions of what could be. These are all inner gifts on the perceptive side. Without a developed auxiliary judging process, they will have little or no development of an outer personality and equally limited use of the gifts. However, a good judging process in support will shape the intuitive perceptions into conclusions or actions that will have a sound impact on the outer world."

Van der Hoop recognized this problem: ‘There is peculiar difficulty where this inner knowledge is concerned, in finding even approximate expression for what is perceived. It is extremely important, therefore, for people of this type to attain through their education a technique of expression…

The development of this type is slower and more arduous than that of most other people…Such children are not very amenable to influence from their environment. They may have periods of uncertainty and reserve, after which they suddenly become very determined, and if then they are opposed, they may manifest an astonishing self-will and obstinacy. As a result of the intensely spontaneous activity within, they are frequently moody, occasionally brilliant and original, then again reserved, stubborn, and arrogant.

In later life, also, it is a persistent characteristic of people of this type, that while on the one hand they possess great determination, on the other hand they find it very difficult to express what they want. Although they may have only a vague feeling about the way they want to go, and of the meaning of their life, they will nevertheless reject with great stubbornness anything that does not fit in with this. They fear lest external influences or circumstances should drive them in a wrong direction, and they resist on principle (1939, p. 48).’

It follows that these people cannot be successfully coerced. They will not even be told anything without their permission, but they will accept an offer of facts, opinions, or theories, for free consideration; the excellence of their understanding must be trusted to recognize what is true.”

Introverted Intuition supported by Thinking

INTJ’s are the most independent of all the 16 types and take more or less conscious pride in that independence. Whatever their field, they are likely to be innovators. In business, they are born reorganizers. Intuition gives them an iconoclastic imagination and an unhampered view of the possibilities; extraverted thinking supplies a keenly critical organizing faculty. “Whatever is, could doubtless be improved!” They are likely, however, to organize themselves out of a job. They cannot continually reorganize the same thing, and a finished product has no interest. Thus, they need successive new assignments, with bigger and better problems, to stretch their powers.

Even when well balanced, they have a tendency to ignore the views and feelings of other people. Use of the critical attitude in personal relations is a destructive luxury, which can have a disintegrating effect upon their personal lives. They would do well to make an effort to use their critical faculty on their impersonal problems and on themselves and to work for some development of appreciation (they need not call it feeling) to use on others.”

CERN Update

Tomorrow holds all sorts of possibilities--It could be the beginning of great strides in the worlds of physics, science, and technology; or we could all be vaporized within a split second. I'm guessing the real answer will fall somewhere within those parameters..

Related potential doom post(my favorite from last week), and an oldie but a goodie..

Is Future CERN really trying to destroy itself? The second link is from YouTube, if you feel like watching, not reading..

Huh..

Branson Police Catch Robber Inside Store. Dumb Criminal -- This could be (IS) Branson's crappiest gift shop. Why would anyone want to rob that? Really.. why?

A little bit of weird, Branson style

Monkey Strolls Through Branson.

Ukrainian Flu/Plague Update/Roundup

"Deadly flu spreads across Ukraine"

"total destruction of the lungs." Ukrainian Doctor Viktor Bachinsky has stated, "The virus causing the deaths is extremely aggressive -- it doesn't first infect the throat (as is common in flu), but strikes the lungs directly."

"..there are signs the virus is genetic engineered."

WHO Continues To Deceive: Assumes That Ukraine Plague Is H1N1 Swine Flu

or is this just a political ploy?

The People Who Wrecked The World

Pretty comprehensive Anti Baby Boomer rant from a poster at AlienEarth.

Being a member of Generation X has always felt like the kid left standing at the end of "Musical Chairs." First we were left out because we were too young to be taken seriously by those before us. Then we were left out because the Boomers were taken too seriously. Then we were left out because the Silent Generation before the Boomers wanted to hang on a little while longer. And now, we're still shut out because the Boomers want to hang on a little while longer. And all the while, Gen Y approaches from behind..

While great technological advances happened during our formative years (into adulthood), our generation had to familiarize ourselves with these advances, not think within them. As tech-savvy as some of my generation might be, GenY grew up fluent in Internet and computer knowledge. If I were an employer and had to choose a programmer or designer for any future high end tech projects, I'd definitely go with a GenY candidate. In other words, while we learned it, they live it. And again, the music ends and we're left standing..

We are more independent, cynical, and grounded(but nomadic) than our older brothers and sisters (or parents). We got hip to the fact we lost the "chronological lottery" early, along with any optimistic assessments of the future (I don't know anyone who wasn't just a little freaked out after watching "The Day After.."). We are the most educated generation, but we are also the first to reverse the trend of making more money than our parents. Economically, the American Dream died with us; we just weren't aware of it.

So a lot of us have said "fuck you" to the conventions of society, and do whatever we want, kind of.. We are the Service Industry, Middle Management, and the Creatives who can't fully impliment their visions. We still don't save for the future, live paycheck to paycheck, never once thought Social Security would be around when we retired (Old people Freak Out when you say that to them. Evidently, it's a scary thought..), and yet, there seems to be this hope that, when the shit Really hits the fan, we'll get ours together and get to work. Will my generation ever find cohesion? Will I?

This Week's Favorite Conspiracy-Themed Article!

The Sisters of Sorcha Faal, far and away..

Hannity Uses Beck's Protest Footage

Fox News takes another Gigantic Crap on the corpse of Journalistic Integrity..

Also; Hannity should feel like a lame ass super tard for getting caught lifting Beck's footage, but I'm sure he doesn't. He's too far removed from the reality he's creating.

Also; John Stewart is awesome and hilarious. And brave; very brave.

DIY Video for Radiohead's "All I Need"

Wow, man! I thought Radiohead had put this together! This is one of the finest examples of edit-driven narrative in a video as I've ever seen. The Microcosmos(insects and their environment) acts as a reflection of larger forces in nature(us/our world), exposed to even larger forces(rain/the elements/Macrocosm) that can, in turn, act as either Creator, or Destroyer.

Who knew pollinating dandelions and bouncing lady bugs could bring so much catharsis?

Bonus video from the creator, J. Tyler Helms. This guy's got some serious talent..

10 Diabetes Super Foods

Great list to have and live by. Reader's Digest, is there anything you can't do? Other than, of course, present a political view left of "Center-Right.."

Exclusive: Mike Connell's Family Copes With His Mysterious Death, Tipsters, Legal Options

"Although mainly un-reported, there's a great deal of controversy surrounding Connell's death - largely in part because he was the architect of many Republican websites including GeorgeWBush.com and GWB43.com, the site Karl Rove used for 95% of his email correspondence. Connell was also considered a key witness in the election fraud lawsuit King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association v. Blackwell. The suit implicates Former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth J. Blackwell, Karl Rove and others of 2004 election night vote rigging."

Karl Rove probably had absolutely nothing to do with this. Nothing. Absolutely Nothing.

Courtesy Bradblog.

30 GOP Senators Vote to Defend Gang Rape

Somewhat old news, but deserves to be spread. Also Known As: Republican Senators bow down to Corporate Masters.. It all applies.

Uh-Oh..

File Under: Potentially Serious Doom. See Also: Global Implications.

Technically, this war never ended, so an incident like this could restart a really ugly war-by-proxy between China and the United States. Three potential narratives play out:

1. Escalation. Not outright war, but strained-to-failing diplomatic relations
could lead there soon.
2. Pop! We wake up tomorrow or Wednesday or any day real soon and we are at war.
3. Dissipation. Effective Diplomatic overtime keeps this in the "Near Miss" category.

Pay attention. This might be important.

I want to live! I want to live!.. In Paramus!

Man attempts suicide: Ends up swimming to New Jersey.

This Is Friggin' AWESOME!

Have a conversation with Cleverbot. Ask it anything, then wrap your head around the fact this is Artificial Intelligence! I had a 30 minute conversation with.. it last night. Amazing..

The Final Mayan calendar steps to 2012: November 8, 2009 – the beginning of the Sixth NIGHT

New from Calleman. This starts today. Buckle up, Buddy-Roe..

Houston Must Be Devastated

Atlanta, Georgia: America's Most Toxic City!

Follow Up To The Ukraine Panic Story

Yeah, looks like it might be Pneumonic Plague. Have a nice day!

"Looking at the entire metropolis, it becomes obvious that this was a well planned community, developed by a highly evolved civilization."

From:

"They have always been there. People noticed them before. But no one could remember who made them -- or why? Until just recently, no one even knew how many there were. Now they are everywhere -- thousands -- no, hundreds of thousands of them! And the story they tell is the most important story of humanity. But it's one we might not be prepared to hear.

Something amazing has been discovered in an area of South Africa, about 150 miles inland, west of the port of Maputo. It is the remains of a huge metropolis that measures, in conservative estimates, about 1500 square miles. It's part of an even larger community that is about 10,000 square miles and appears to have been constructed -- are you ready -- from 160,000 to 200,000 BCE!"

To:

"Mitochondrial Eve would have been roughly contemporary with humans whose fossils have been found in Ethiopia near the Omo River and at Hertho. Mitochondrial Eve lived significantly earlier than the out of Africa migration which might have occurred some 60,000 to 95,000 years ago.

The region in Africa where one can find the greatest level of mitochondrial diversity (green) and the region anthropologists postulated the most ancient division in the human population began to occur (light brown). The ancient metropolis in located in this latter (brown) region which also corresponds to the estimated age when the genetic changes suddenly happened.

Could this be a coincidence?"

To:

"Since these events appear to coincide with the dates of "Mitochondrial Eve" (i.e. 150,000 to 250,000 BP) and appear to be located in the richest gold mining region on the planet (Abzu), some researchers are thinking that the Sumerian legends may, in fact, be based on historical events."

And:

"According to the story, one of the "gods" had sympathy for a particular human, Zuisudra, and warned him to construct a boat to ride out the flood. This eventually became the basis for the story of Noah in the book of Genesis.

Did this really happen? The only other explanation is to imagine that the Sumerian legends, acknowledging life on other planets and human cloning, were extraordinary science-fiction. This in itself would be amazing. But we now have evidence that the mining city, Abzu, is real and that it existed in the same era as the sudden evolution of hominids to homo sapiens.

Just think about this for a while."

Any Guesses?

Xymphora's got some ideas..

Don't forget to read about Jean Spangler, too. I've always been just a little creeped out by the Actor In Question. Maybe this is why.

The Best UFO Pictures Taken By NASA You'll Ever See

From their own satellite imagery! And no, it's not "space junk," either..

Panic in Ukraine, Authorities deny aircraft are spraying aerosols over cities, Martial Law expected

The Header says it all.. If this is the real thing, things could get a little freaky worldwide. This deserves some follow up, and I'll be watching over the next week or so..

ATS has a take on who might be responsible..

Caves? On the moon? What'll they think of next?

With the discovery of water(much more than expected) and now, potentially livable caves, the Moon's starting to look a little more habitable..

Mega-Historical Re-Think, Take One..

Archaeologists have discovered the Popul Vuh (otherwise known as the Mayan Creation Story) in what is possibly the largest pyramid in the world, one of possibly thousands of pyramids in what was an ancient Metropolis known as Mirador. CNN has the footage.. Link to ATS forum. The frieze recounting the Popul Vuh predates the arrival of Christianity by 1000 years, so what will likely emerge from this new discovery will re-write much(MUCH) regarding what is known about Mayan religion and civilization.

These discoveries might accomplish several things:

A. The context of time and technology in Mesoamerica will come into sharper focus. The discriminatory mythologies of cave dwellers, native idiots, and the bleed-through of Americanized stereotypes of scalpin', rapin', and smokum-peace-pipes is done. These were urban dwellers whose societal structure was set up on advanced mathematical and astronomical foundations that rival our current understanding of same concepts. The level of their achievements should be respected and further explored, and now, with more awareness, they will.

B. The Spanish (supposedly) destroyed almost all but the remaining information on the Mayan Civilization. Hopefully, copies of formerly unavailable Codices will appear, possibly providing a Rosetta Stone moment, a spike in the information pool, and some more context for the entire 2012 Movement. (The Emmerich directed movie leads me out of the "Apocalypse" category, for some reason.. It's now become too mainstream to go down this way. At least, that's how I feel at the moment..). If no more texts are found, there will still be a massive information influx by studies of street configurations and placement and construction of Mirador's buildings.

C. The reminder to the Anglo sphere, that, when our European ancestors were still backwards, ignorant, and barbaric, mighty civilizations based on science and thought grew and thrived. The magnitude of Mesoamerica's reversal of fortune might have special implications for our (America, Europe.. "us.") immediate and long term collective future. Empires rise, then fall, and when they do fall, they fall hard. Did the Mayans ever think their time would end?

There also might be spiritual implications, dimensional discoveries.. The possibilities are wide open. This could be a threshold moment, the beginning of a wave of discoveries, causing a complete change in implications of what it means to be alive, human, and living on this planet..

Further Consideration Needed

I have been absent, as of late. In this phase of life, so much more has become meaningful. Life is more relevant. Actions and reactions are more significant. It's wonderful, but there's so much more to process!

Philadelphia Experiment

Concise, thorough, and skeptical synopsis here.

Flashback: In The Lair Of The Europeans

In the lair of the Europeans, December 1994

"Why don’t you close your eyes and re-invent me?"
-Massive Attack, "Mezzanine"

Sticking close to Ana, my security, not knowing them, unfamiliar, unsure, and yet…

Limbo, the treetop bar, overlooking Duval, close to midnight, on a still warm December night. I am with Ana, of course, and Nathalie, Sharon, and Elan, sometimes Helen and Stephan, and the gay Israeli guy who likes me (and I kinda like him, but I’m still with ___, so no…) are there, too. The trade winds are blowing most pleasantly, and there are some girls dancing in front of the DJ, who is from England (not that that makes him cool or nuthin’) and who is more than competent…

The bar catered to this fun, young, gorgeous, international crowd that was so nice to look at. But most of the time, I was quiet. Observing them, shy, intimidated by these interesting, rounded, sophisticated young adults, some of them, anyway (sophisticated, that is), their hands extended in friendship to me.

I wear a baseball cap, flannel shirt, smoke Marlboro Reds, and drink Budweiser. "You are so American." They say. "And yet you are not."

They are curious of me, also.

Flashback: Seven Random Thoughts of Key West

1. (November 1993) On the first night of her arrival, my roommate _____ got hit in the head by a coconut. We had been drinking in celebration of her arrival on the island, and were walking down a side street. _____was underneath a Palm at exactly the right moment. The coconut came loose and dropped right on her head. Coconut impacts have killed people before, but this incident only left her extremely shaken.

She never liked living in Key West. And from the beginning, the feeling was evidently mutual.

2.(November 1994) My friend Ana, the French girl, and I would sit outside our respective places of work and smoke. "Let’s have a ciggy, shall we?" She’d say. So we’d sit, with nothing else to do but smoke, watching the people walk Duval.

A drunken bearded man in a black dress riding a bicycle approached. When he got in front of us, he decided to stop by putting on his brakes and slowly falling over. Ana and I exchanged looks, neither of us busting out with laughter, but close. The man lay half on the street and sidewalk for awhile, then began to get up, wrestling with the bike and his dress and his intoxication in the fight to right himself vertically. It was a slow process.

His dress appeared to be of cheap satin (Is it called Crinoline?) that swished and crunched loudly as he rolled around the sidewalk. And unlike the drag queens, he didn’t wear makeup. But then, how could he, with that full, full beard he was sporting? I’m not sure he was even aware that we were several feet away the whole time.

Seconds turned into minutes turned into pathetic, and we decided to go inside by the time he began to fully stand. We watched some more from inside, as he smoothed his dress down and began walking in the direction from which he’d come, leaving his bike half on the street, half on the sidewalk.

3.My stalker, Simon – October 1993 to May 1994
God love him, this guy was a mess. He was obsessive, kinda creepy, not threatening, really, but he did provide some seriously unintentional comic gems during our stalker/stalkee acquaintance.

The first time we met, I was working at the smaller clothing store by myself one Saturday afternoon/evening. He came in, looked around a few minutes, and then began to ask me questions. No one was in the store, so he questioned further, then began telling me about the minutiae of his excruciating everyday existence. Painful to go through, I’m sure, but painful to listen to, as well.

No one came into the store, so I had no distractions and no course of action but to continue listening. After about 90 minutes, the manager of the other store called and I acted like he wanted me to close the store and go across the street to the other store, for a moment. So I finally got rid of him, for the meantime, for the first time, that day. He then began to show up at either store frequently, and consistently.

After I got fired from the clothing stores, I got a job bar backing and bar tending at One Saloon. Simon couldn’t find me, for a while, anyway. He spotted me one night, emptying glass bottles into one of the recycling bins at the front entrance of the bar. I saw him coming, mentally cussed for a moment, turned around, said hello, then went back to work.

Afterward, his visits became, once again, frequent and consistent. Sometimes he’d come in, sometimes not, content to speak with me by the garbage cans. Once in a while, my friend the bouncer wouldn’t let him in, just to fuck with his head. On my nights to bar tend, I usually worked the bar by the dance floor. It was a little slower volume-wise, and the other bartenders had seniority, so they’d take the two other, busier bars and leave that station to me.

But I was totally fine with arrangement. I loved the music, and could work at a little slower pace than when I’d bar back. And I was also first out, which meant I might get five or six hours of sleep that night, as opposed to my normal two and a half to four. My life consisted of nap time, twice daily, and work. Graphic design by day (10:00-5:00), bar staff at night (8:30/9:00-5:00), and in between, sleep.

The bar wouldn’t fill up until 10:30 or 11. Sometimes it was earlier on busy weeks, but at 9 when we opened, there was almost no one there. Few people came in earlier than Simon. The dance floor was fairly small, mirrored, had a continuous rail for drinks and ashtrays, and light and fog effects for the dancers. And it was empty, except for me and Simon, disco music blaring from the speakers as he awkwardly stared and/or mumbled.

The owners took operation of the bar seriously. One of them was the DJ on Mondays and Tuesdays, our busiest nights. On those nights, Simon would stand at the back of the dance floor 20 feet away, and lay out papers against the back wall of the floor, showing me proof that he’d done his homework. He went to school at Florida Keys Community College. He’d leave them out until people started filtering back to the back bar. Then he’d get very frantic, quickly pull the papers together, and rush out the back exit, all in a matter of 15 or 20 seconds. Just like his presence, his aftermath was puzzlement to all involved.

Sometimes, if I was behind the garden bar changing kegs or doing whatever, the bouncer would give me a heads-up that Simon was there by saying his name loudly. I’d stay hidden until he was convinced I wasn’t working that night. He was harmless, like I said, but some nights, I just couldn’t be bothered. It was a game, in a way. I never led this guy on, but I didn’t take his visits too seriously, either.

One night, as I worked at the garden bar, Simon came in, drank three cans of beer, and fell asleep in his seat, face-first on the bar, snoring somewhat softly. He said he’d been drinking earlier, so his passing out was of no surprise. The waiters from our sister establishment, La Trattoria Venezia, would usually sit at my bar after their shift, get very drunk, and leave lots of money. They were also great customers, very pleasant and fun to be around. Sometimes the bar would show gay porn on the televisions around the bar, and we’d make up hilarious, drunken dialogue to coincide with the action.

But on this one particular night, they were content to drink and laugh, humored at the sight of Simon sleeping and snoring and drooling at the end of the bar. I looked at the French girl, Coco, and said, "Watch this—SIMON WAKE UP!!" I screamed. He jolted and shook and panicked and ran out the door before he’d even woke up, laughter from the employees following him down Appelrouth Lane.

I didn’t see him for awhile after that. Evidently, I wasn’t the only one he was stalking. ___ said a friend of his found Simon in the gated driveway of his house, asleep on the gravel drive. And he’d follow other guy’s home, too, never threatening, just following or talking. Later, another friend told me he’d seen Simon being restrained then dragged, screaming, from the Red Cross blood drive.

4. November 1993 The cute insane guy would walk the streets all day, every day for awhile, holding a copy of some unexpected classic in paperback, saying very little ever, walking and stopping and staring. I’m not sure if he was homeless or not, as he stayed pretty clean despite the heat. And he was so damn cute! Really strong, handsome good looks, good hair, and (had he not been crazy) beautiful eyes. He wasn’t ill mannered or seemingly all that tortured, just not there.

My guess was assisted living via rich family. Out of sight, out of mind, fun in the sun, this sort of rationale. He left or disappeared maybe a month and a half later. I wish I could remember the name of that book. It gave me the impression he was really smart, but had crossed the line. I also got the feeling he read that book repeatedly.

5. September and October 1993 The owner of the ChitChat was quite demonstrative of his opinions. The sign outside the restaurant promised a two eggs, grits, and home-fries meal for 99 cents. The place was always busy, although I never met anyone who’d gone twice. The ChitChat was our first breakfast in our new home. The eggs sucked, the cream curdled the second it entered the coffee, and it was there that we realized Ben’s van had been towed, as it was visibly gone from where it had been parked. The waitress said, "Welcome to Key West."

Along with the restaurant, his property included a white stone wall along Duval Street. Whenever the urge his him, he’d spray paint different anecdotes to provoke thought, incite a riot, or some action in between from those reading his diatribes. I took a picture of one that said, "Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders: Tell the American people about "Agent Orange and AIDS serum"…When was it made??? By whom? "Well maybe I can help you" (1) July 7, 1976."

After awhile, he’d repaint the wall white, and then later, he’d spray paint something else.

6. September 1993 Ben and I listened to the Smashing Pumpkins’ "Siamese Dream" most of the way from Missouri to Key West and then until he left, three months later. I don’t know how many times we listened to it, but the number was close to 200. And I still don’t know the names of most of the songs and very little of the lyrics. But he really loved that CD.

7. _____ hated to go to the New Moon Saloon, but she would go if I repeatedly asked her. They had great burgers and wings, but they also had the worst service on the island. The bar was sunken, so the sitting patrons and bartenders were at eye level with the other. There were black velvet portraits on the walls of Miles Davis, Carly Simon, Jimi Hendrix, I think, and Sinatra or someone like him. There was always some kind of shit kickin’ rock and roll, boogie or blues, or metal blaring, much more for the bar patrons than the restaurant. And those Sixties or Seventies-era monolith comfort booths really hit the spot after a hard night of drinking.

But the service sucked so bad! On more than one occasion, the waiter or waitress was obviously more wasted than we were, seriously pissing _____ off. Also, there was this funked-out crack-head vibe about the place, as it was only one of a few 24-hour places in Old Town. Lots of weirdness, lots of druggy stares and behavior, from both the staff and clientele, and snippets of conversation that was, in any context, unsettling. Always.

Good wings, though.