Spam, spam, spam, spam

By Judy Berman

While I was out, intruders have been trying to make their way into my home. Despite security, their attempts have been relentless.

That’s how I feel about spammers constantly trying to hijack my blog with their unsolicited and typically irrelevant comments in an effort to advertise a product, a service – sometimes pornographic – or make an appeal for money.

It seems I spend almost as much time cleaning out the detritus as I do creating stories to post.

Akismet’s web site says it filters out comment and track-back spam on blogs so bloggers can focus on more important things. It defines “spam” as the “unwanted commercial comments” on blogs. (No disrespect is intended to the wonderful folks at Hormel Foods Corporation who make Spam.)

So, even if you’re a vegetarian and you’ve sworn off meat, you’ll still be clamoring for more “ham” content on your blog. “Ham,” Akismet says, “is what we call (spam’s) counterpart, legitimate comments.”

How do you separate the “spam” from the “ham?” That sounds like a job for Monty Python’s “Spam” and “Sir Spamalot.” It does get that ridiculous.

Imagine that you are at the Green Midget Cafe in Bromley, surrounded by a group of Vikings. In this Monty Python sketch, everything on the menu/comments contains Spam.

You, the disgruntled diner/blogger ask for “an item with the Spam removed.” The waitress does not oblige, and the Vikings chant “Spam, lovely Spam, wonderful Spam.” (The skit can be found at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE )

Instead of thoughtful, funny comments to your blog, you get spammed – a lot.

This is not a freedom of speech issue. It’s about “consent, not content,” according to The Spamhaus Project. “Whether the Unsolicited Bulk Email (“UBE”) message is an advert, a scam, porn, a begging letter or an offer of a free lunch, the content is irrelevant – if the message was sent unsolicited and in bulk then the message is spam.”

Spamhaus says the sending of Unsolicited Bulk Email (“UBE”) is banned by all Internet service providers worldwide. Violators could wind up losing their Internet accounts and access if they send UBE, according to Spamhaus’ website.

What can you do to limit or stop spam? Do not respond to it. Filter it out of your e-mail and complain to providers about it. You also can take action through anti-spam organizations and thru any laws that might apply in your state.

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What do you think can be done to stop this unwanted intrusion? Comment below.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Judy Berman and earthrider, 2011-12. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to (Judy Berman) and (earthrider, earth-rider.com, or earthriderdotcom) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Graphic: No spam  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:No-spam.svg

Photo: Excalibur – Monty Python’s Sir Spamalot  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Excalibur-spam.jpg

article on spam at The Spamhaus Project  http://www.spamhaus.org/consumer/definition/

Camping, Anyone?

By Judy Berman

Ah, camping! Pitching a tent and communing with nature! As Memorial Day approaches, it’s a time when many begin to think about the great outdoors, the lure of the water and the call of the wild.

The last time I heard the call of the wild – it seems a lifetime ago – was when we pitched our tent in the middle of a square-dancing marathon. The strains of do-si-do still cause an involuntary shudder in our household.

Still, off we bounded with optimism in our hearts as we pitched our tent on the lake’s edge. Our eyes were bloodshot from absorbing the sights and sound that suburbia locked out.

These were some of the attractions of our camping grounds. The water was so far from our campsite that, on the return trip, I drank most of the water supply to fight off dehydration.

The bathrooms, which my children discovered a need for at 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., were so far removed from our campsite that I had to take them there by car. (This is when they were much younger.)

Low-flying helicopters buzzed the rec area during the day because some bright flyboy discovered that the showers had no shower curtains and no roof.

The dark spot on the horizon was an approaching rainstorm. The flashes of lightning looked so picturesque off in the distance across the lake. Our friend warned us about the slight shift of wind.

So we secured the tent, tied down the flaps, put most of our gear away and slipped into our sleeping bags, expecting to be lulled to sleep by the gentle patter of rainfall on our tent.

What we hadn’t anticipated was the slight shift of wind, predicted by our friend, that amounted to a gale force of 50 mph winds and rain that descended like a torrential downpour. The wind savagely whipped around our tent and uprooted some of our supporting frames.

We sought refuge in our car which really was not designed to hold two adults, two children and a St. Bernard.

When the rain stopped, we gratefully got out of our cramped quarters. Bad news. Everything, including our sleeping bags, was drenched. We packed up like thieves in the night and began our long haul home.

At 3:30 a.m., we finally arrived home. We peeled off our wet, sandy duds and tumbled into bed.

That experience still cuts through me like a knife. When anyone suggests in an upbeat, chipper tone that we go camping, I recall how our dog would bolt under the table and whine pitifully. To this day, all the rest of us still register panic in our eyes at the thought of a return to the great outdoors.

What family vacation makes you chuckle or dive for shelter? Comment below.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Judy Berman and earthrider, 2011-12. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to (Judy Berman) and (earthrider, earth-rider.com, or earthriderdotcom) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

* Main photo: Camping – Danielle and Jenn – Labrador Pond, Tully, NY

* camping – cooking http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Myaso_(2642493568).jpg

* Camping graphic – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camping.png  Source: USDA Forestry Service website

 

Dancing in the Car

By Judy Berman

My red Nissan Sentra lurched and shook as we sped down the highway.

No mechanical problems. Just the usual. Thru the years, my car has been more than a mode of transportation. It’s also been our personal jukebox.

My daughters and I were rocking out to the tunes on the radio – singing loud enough to be heard above the traffic noise on 690. Passing motorists pointed at us good-naturedly and laughed along with us.

We were having a grand time. Summer was just around the corner. We rolled down the window and blared Chaka Khan’s “I Feel for You.”

“I’ll make it more than just a physical dream. I wanna rock you, Chaka, baby. Cuz you make me wanna scream, Let me rock you, Rock you.” (Chaka Khan, “I Feel For You”)

Little did we realize the sexual undertones of some of the songs we were jamming to, such as Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and “1999.”

“I was dreaming when I wrote this, so sue me if I go too fast. But life is just a party, and parties weren’t meant to last.” (Prince, “1999”)

That was tame, But I just blush now when I really listen to some of the lyrics.

The music’s appeal was its danceability and, if we could have, we would have been dancing in the car.

The Beatles’ “Rock and Roll Music” was a couple of decades older. When it came on though, my girls never missed a beat.

“That’s why I go for that rock and roll music, any old way you choose it. It’s got a back beat, you can’t blues it, any old time you use it. Gotta be rock and roll music if you want to dance with me.” (The Beatles, “Rock and Roll Music”)

No trip thru Syracuse was complete until we stopped at Columbus Bakery and bought two loaves of Italian bread. The music escorted us home to Liverpool. By that time, Danielle and Jenn demolished one of the loaves. I might have had some myself. I’m sure they recall the outcome differently.

Then, as we neared home, I’d turn the corners a tad sharp in our neighborhood so that they’d tumble against one another – first to one side of the car, then the other. More giggles. They’d squeal with delight and beg me to do it again. I gladly obliged.

Several years later, the musical tradition continued. Turning onto our street, my timing was perfect. Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” came on. It’s about 10 minutes long, but we waited for our favorite part when Meatloaf, in the heat of passion, promised to wed his girlfriend.

“I’ll never break my promise or forget my vow … I’m praying for the end of time. It’s all that I can do. Praying for the end of time, so I can end my time with you.” (Meatloaf, “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights”)

By now, we were parked in the driveway, waiting for the next song, “Y.M.C.A.,” that closed this particular radio show.

If anyone had seen us singing and performing this disco song in our car, they would have thought we were certifiable.

This routine is just a memory chip away. When I hit rewind to replay that rock and roll music in my head, I just smile. It reminds of when Jenn and Danielle rode along with me. My girls completed my days and nights.

    What’s your favorite driving song? Comment below.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Judy Berman and earthrider, 2011-12. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to (Judy Berman) and (earthrider, earth-rider.com, or earthriderdotcom) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

* Photo: The Beatles at Kennedy Airport in 1964 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Beatles,_Kennedy_Airport,_February_1964.jpg

* Photo: Prince in Paris in 2009 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Prince.jpg        Author: Nicolas Genin, Paris, France

* Photo: Chaka Khan in concert in Santa Ynez, Calif.in 2006 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Chaka_Khan.jpg

* Photo: Village People – Y.M.C.A. – 1970s disco group http://www.listal.com/viewimage/52783

* “Rock and Roll Music” – music video with The Beatles (1964 song) http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Rock+and+Roll+Music+Beatles&mid=AE3F5E63286E2C4B39A5AE3F5E63286E2C4B39A5&view=detail&FORM=VIRE5

* “I Feel for You” – music video with Chaka Khan (1984 song) http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=i+feel+for+you+chaka+khan+lyrics&mid=DAC8A78F458AE54A4EFADAC8A78F458AE54A4EFA&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1

* “1999” music video with Prince (1982 song) http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=prince+1999+music+video+official&mid=64B37BACF8AEB2FD7B9B64B37BACF8AEB2FD7B9B&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3

* “YMCA” music video with the Village People (1979 song) http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ymca+music+video&mid=077162ED5F556270EC9D077162ED5F556270EC9D&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3

To Mom, With Love

Mom - Mother's Day - Milly Fiet - with me. By Judy Berman

It was late Monday night, and my 3-week-old daughter, Danielle, was fast asleep. So I turned on “The Lucy Show” with Lucille Ball.

On the TV show, Lucie Arnaz (Lucille Ball’s daughter in real life), announced that she was going to leave home. That’s when I began to cry.

I called my friend, Doreen Klee, and told her between tears and gasps of breath that that’s what Danielle was going to do. Dee, a practical and funny mom, brought me back to earth with: “I’d wait until she can at least feed and dress herself first.”

This scenario now reminds me of how my Mom, Milly Fiet, must have felt when I left home when I was 21. My family planned to move down South while I chose to stay in New York.

I saw this scenario thru a different lens when Mrs. Cunningham (played by Marion Ross), on the TV show “Happy Days,” felt life has passed her by. Her children are growing up, and she feels like she’s not needed. So, Mrs. C turns to Fonzie (Henry Winkler), whose apartment is above the Cunninghams’ garage, for a sympathetic ear.

It’s odd how often everyday things remind me of my Mom, who passed in 2001. Too many times, I’ve seen a TV Mom or a skit that hits too close to home and thought of my Mom. Mrs. C. “gave up her secretarial job in order to become a stay-at-home mother and take care of her children, Richie and Joanie,” according to Access Hollywood’s Top 20 TV Moms of All Time.

My Mom did the same after my brother, Hank, was born.

Our house in North Syracuse, N.Y., like the Cunninghams’, was a kid magnet. Mom’s desserts were one attraction. Her sympathetic ear was another. Kids could always count on her to listen attentively to their troubles.

My Mom might be surprised that another TV mom also echoes memories of my childhood. Marge Simpson of “The Simpsons.” Think her high blue coiffure is bad? You should have seen the haircut I gave my Mom – at her encouragement. As a teen, I was confident I could do a layered cut. Boy, was I wrong.

I felt awful. Mom never complained. But she did wear a hat every time she left the house until her hair grew out.

Mom was like Marge Simpson in another way, too. Marge “instills morals, and provides a grounding voice in the midst of her family’s antics,” according to Access. Check. That’s my Mom to a “T.”

Moms. When it’s done right, moms have a tough job, whether they’re stay-at-home working moms, or working-outside-the-home moms.

So here’s to all moms. Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13th and every day.

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* Main photo: My Mom, Milly Fiet, when she was 22, and me when I was 6 months old.

* Photo: Marion Cunningham (Marion Ross) and The Fonz (Henry Winkler) on the TV show “Happy Days.” http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Happy_Days_Fonzie_and_Mrs_C_1977.JPG

* Photo: The Cunningham family on the TV show “Happy Days.”  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cunningham_family_Happy_Days_1974.JPG

* Drawing of Marge Simpson of the TV show “The Simpsons.”  http://www.accesshollywood.com/access-top-20-tv-moms-of-all-time_gallery_2264/image_108501

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Judy Berman and earthrider, 2011-12. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to (Judy Berman) and (earthrider, earth-rider.com, or earthriderdotcom) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Stay Gold, Ponyboy

By Judy Berman

Living life on the fringes. Always feeling like you’re on the outside looking in.

That’s the theme of the novel, “The Outsiders,” by S.E. Hinton. It’s one I can relate to, and I’ve been out of school for a few decades. The book and the movie still resonate with readers today.

Elvis, The Beatles, leather jackets, D.A.’s greased-back haircuts and madras shirts. They evoke a different time – the early-‘60s. That was when America worried about a nuclear attack and building bomb shelters. We had not yet gotten involved in Vietnam and the flower children of the mid-1960s were still a few years away.

Many look at those times as being more innocent. But it had its share of troubles, too. Like the author, I had friends who were rich, as well as those who were poor and lived “on the other side of the tracks.” A few were “hoods” and, around me, they were great guys. I knew that neither life was problem-free.

S. E. Hinton wrote about the clash of those two groups. She was 15 and still in high school when she began writing her novel. It was published in 1967,  when she was a freshman in college. She has said that the characters were not based on any one person she knew. Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally’s characters each had their own universal appeal, she said.

The movie, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is one I’ve shown to my students the past several years. They see the PG version, although I prefer the PG-13 version because the story thread is much closer to the book.

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” That’s Ponyboy Curtis’ opening line in the novel.

A few blocks later, Ponyboy is jumped by members of the Socs (or Socials, the rich kids). When he yells for help, his brothers and gang members of the Greasers, the hoods, rush to his defense.

Their next encounter is deadly. It forces Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny, to run away to avoid arrest. At one point, they’re focused on the countryside’s beauty and wish that scene could remain forever.

I recall a similar experience when I lived in the country. As I looked out our kitchen window, the whole countryside was awash in gold. Then, sadly, as the sun rose higher, the golden hues began to yield to nature’s green coloring. Ponyboy, in repeating lines from Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay:”

“Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day, Nothing gold can stay.”

When Johnny asks what it means, Ponyboy tells him that things cannot remain as they are.

Like the scene they witnessed, their innocence will slip away. What they’ve gone thru will transform them forever. Near the end of the book, Johnny told Ponyboy to “stay gold.”

Little has changed since the book was published in 1967. There are still cliques and those who are on the outside. Hopefully, as teens read this book and see the movie, they will see the harm that comes from stereotyping, from forming cliques, and how they view others who are not part of their group.

Ponyboy realized that just because he was poor didn’t mean he’d be stuck in that life. He was going to make something of himself. That’s an excellent observation. One that I hope my students take away from the story that Hinton crafted when she was a teen herself.

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* Main photo of cast in “The Outsiders”   http://www.listal.com/viewimage/1402794h

* Photo of Ponyboy and Johnny from the movie  http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-outsiders/images/29368683/title/johnny-cade-ponyboy-curtis-photo

* Photo clips from the movie, “The Outsiders,” and Stevie Wonder singing “Stay Gold.”   http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+outsiders+movie+music+video&mid=BEBF8C699E909E8E2096BEBF8C699E909E8E2096&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1

* Video of Ponyboy and Johnny. Scene where Ponyboy recites Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwJ-ppxCGPk

* Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”  http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19977

* S.E. Hinton’s website: http://www.sehinton.com/

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Judy Berman and earthrider, 2011-12. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to (Judy Berman) and (earthrider, earth-rider.com, or earthriderdotcom) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Catching the ‘Fever’ with Travolta and The Bee Gees

By Judy Berman

 

That swagger. Those dance moves. John Travolta, as Tony Manero, turned heads and captivated an audience from the opening scene of “Saturday Night Fever” (1977).

The film brings back memories of the disco era and the music of The Bee Gees. Even today, 35 years later, any of their hit songs from the soundtrack – “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” – make me yearn for a return of mirror balls, strobe lights and bad suits made of polyester.

I’m not even a disco fan. But I loved the dance music in that movie. There’s no way I could hit the high notes that Barry Gibb did in his falsetto voice. In my mind, I came a little closer to imitating his brother Robin’s vibrato.

Their music and the movie spoke to a time many can relate to. Many guys like Tony worked dead-end jobs during the week. But, on the weekend, Tony owned the dance floor. Others would step aside just to watch his skillful, stylish moves.

Movie critic Gene Siskel praised Travolta’s energetic performance: “Travolta on the dance floor is like a peacock on amphetamines. He struts like crazy.”

Tony lives for the moment. He’s on top of his game when he’s dancing. Outside the Brooklyn disco, life is less satisfying. He bickers constantly with his parents, and he becomes disenchanted with his job and his friends.

Tony decides to enter a dance competition. He ditches his partner, Annette (played by Donna Pescow), when he sees Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney) dance. She’s not interested in a relationship with him, only in being his partner in the competition – something Tony hasn’t experienced before.

Tony begins to question his views on life thru his talks with Stephanie, who is wiser but not much older, and with his brother, a disillusioned priest. He begins to see that there is more to life than his appearances at the local nightclub, 2001 Odyssey.

Stephanie and Tony win the dance contest. But Tony feels the outcome was rigged. He believes the Puerto Rican couple performed better and suspects the judges rejected them out of racial bias. Tony hands them the prize. Outside, he and Stephanie fight. She runs away from him, and he gets in more skirmishes with his friends.

When the “Night Fever” had passed, Tony recognized that Stephanie was “More Than a Woman.” She wasn’t just another conquest. She could occupy a spot that no other girl had filled: She could be his friend.

After spending the night on the subway, Tony went to Stephanie’s apartment and apologized. She agreed to be friends with him.

It’s a bittersweet moment.

This movie and the creators of the soundtrack make me feel like I’ve got the moves like Travolta. I wish the dancing would never end, but, like Tony, we all had to move on.

* Photo: The Bee Gees performing in 1968 (from left to right: Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Bee_Gees.png

* Photo: John Travolta (as Tony Manero) dancing with Karen Gorney (Stephanie) in “Saturday Night Fever” http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Saturday_Night_Fever/gallery/Saturday-Night-Fever-02/

* music video: The Bee Gees performing “Night Fever” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ihs-vT9T3Q

* music video: John Travolta’s ritual preparing for dance, then dancing http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=saturday+night+fever&mid=E3A0F26506B707A8AB65E3A0F26506B707A8AB65&view=detail&FORM=VIRE7

* music video: John Travolta (as Tony Manero) dancing with Karen Lynn Gorney (as Stephanie) to “More Than a Woman” http://movieclips.com/rExg-saturday-night-fever-movie-disco-dancing/

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Judy Berman and earthrider, 2011-12. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to (Judy Berman) and (earthrider, earth-rider.com, earthriderdotcom) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

The Truth Is Out There

By Judy Berman

The haunting theme music, investigations of UFOs, aliens and the paranormal were the staples of “The X-Files.”

FBI Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), whose sister had been abducted by aliens, suspected a government cover-up. But his partner, Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), was more skeptical.

Both agents were assigned to investigate unsolved cases referred to as “X-Files.” During the show’s run from 1993 to 2002, the science-fiction TV show moved to the big screen with “The X-Files: Fight the Future” (1998). A sequel followed, “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” (2008).

Now, a third film is being talked about. But the truth is … it’s not certain if it’s out there.

“There is a very active and relentless fan campaign for a last movie. I do feel like it would be a terrible shame if that didn’t happen,” X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz said in an interview with Sciencefiction.com.

Spotnitz said he’s been talking to X-Files creator and executive producer Chris Carter about this possibility for a long time. “It feels wrong not to give it an ending around the alien colonization of Earth. … I have a clear idea of how it would go.”

At times, I could empathize with Mulder. I want to believe. Other times, I’m very much like Scully. I weigh the evidence, am skeptical about “eyewitness sightings.”

Is Earth the only planet in the whole galaxy that contains life? It doesn’t seem logical. We’re trying to contact other galaxies. Could another galaxy be trying to get in touch with us? Have some already visited Earth?

Some scoff at that notion. They dismiss accounts of Unidentified Flying Objects and/or little gray men as coming from yahoos out drinking in a swamp.

Pro-UFO supporters point to the U.S. Air Force’s Project Blue Book, Area 51 and the 1947 Roswell incident as proof of credible UFO sightings and of a government cover-up about research on aliens – extraterrestrials. (Links to these stories are below.)

So it’s no wonder that the show’s slogans, “Trust No One” and “The Truth Is Out There” were embraced by X-Files’ fans. They also were a natural fit for me. I was a reporter during the show’s run. It was a natural instinct for me to question what I was told and not buy into every snake-oil salesman’s smooth-talking pitch.

That’s why I want to reject the idea of the series’ Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). He’s plotting with extraterrestrials who plan to wipe out human life. He’s evil personified, willing to sell out the public. But at what cost?

If they succeeded, just how safe would his job be? “No cigarettes for you.”

But, whatever the outcome, I do hope there’s a third movie for the rest of us who can’t get enough of the X-Files.

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Do you identify more with Fox Mulder or Dana Scully?

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Main photo credit of Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson)

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-x-files/images/19918135/title/x-files-wallpaper

Photo credit: Fox Mulder’s office in “The X-Files”

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_X-Files_Office.jpg

“How Area 51 Works”

http://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/area-51.htm

“Unidentified Flying Objects – Project Blue Book” and “The Roswell Incident”

http://www.archives.gov/foia/ufos.html