CULTURE/SOCIETY - Haunting Photos Of Abandoned Cities Around The World

There are more abandoned cities than you’d think. But they’re also probably at least as creepy as you would imagine in your nightmares.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Site of the infamous Chernobyl incident, the entire city had to abandoned in 1986 due to nuclear radiation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ch0jin/4473246824/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45103502@N08/4932657540/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://witness-this.com/tag/pripyat/

Craco, Italy

Craco was a medieval village built high up on a steep summit for defensive reasons, but recurring earthquakes eventually made it impossible to sustain. Today, less than 800 people live there in a commune, while the majority remains eerily uninhabited.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antoniofrancesco/4738058715/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozio-bao/5664265779/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Kolmanskop, Namibia

Formerly a bustling diamond mining town, after the market declined, inhabitants began leaving the town after WWI; by 1954, it was completely deserted. As it was an enclave for German colonialists for many years, the architecture is not only out of place, but its abandonment enhances it even more.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29790613@N05/3428801310/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biancaspics/4541158542/sizes/l/in/photostream/

For more: 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/chernobyldiaries/haunting-photos-of-abandoned-cities-around-the-wor-5ydt

HUMOR: 8 Ways Your Facebook Profile is Like a Serial Killer's Lair By:Dan Markowitz 08-18-2012 153,550 views Add to Favorites Dan makes more cartoons on Defectivity, writes plot-twisted short stories on Twitter, draws knock-knock jokes on Facebook and isn't good at doing magic tricks but wishes he was. Read more: 8 Ways Your Facebook Profile is Like a Serial Killer's Liar

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/8-ways-your-facebook-profile-like-serial-killers-lair/

MY LIFE: my mom and knives in her home

Girlfriend while we're visiting my mom: "Does your mother have knives?"

My sister: "No, my mom has no knives in her house!"

Me: "There was a big fight, and they're not allowed knives in the home anymore!"

Yes, we are a family of smartasses!

MY LIFE: My Daughter Must Have Had Fun

This started out as a tweet for my Twitter page, but it just became too long. - OlderMusicGeek

Well, my daughter obviously had fun at the overnight camping trip that her after school program had organized. I don't think they camped per se, but rather slept in cabins. But I don't know because I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it. Why haven't I had a chance? Well, let me tell you.

She got home yesterday afternoon and went to her mom's place. I went over to her mom's place later in the early evening to pick her up.

I knocked on the door and there was no answer. So I knocked again. Still no answer. I texted my daughter letting her know I was there. No reply. I called her cell. I got the voice mail. I called her mom's land line. I got the answering machine. I left a message saying I had been there and that I'd see her at home. - I only live a block away. - I tried knocking one more time, but of no avail.

My daughter had sent me a text earlier in the day asking if she could spend the night with a friend. So I called the friend's mother. She said my daughter wasn't there and hadn't even heard about her spending the night. She asked me worriedly where I thought my daughter could be. I casually said she probably just fell asleep and didn't hear me knock.

And sure enough, 45 minutes later, my daughter comes strolling into our apartment saying she had fallen asleep and didn't hear me knock... or call... or text. I told her I assumed as much and didn't worry about then.

Unfortunately, somebody did. We got a call about a half hour later from the mother of the friend asking with concern if I heard from my daughter and knew where she was. I told her she was home and had fallen asleep before, and I apologized for not letting her know.

As for my daughter, when she got to my place, she immediately plopped on the couch and watched tv... and fell asleep shortly thereafter. I suggested she go to her bedroom and watch tv there... twice. Both times, she mumbled something back incomprehensible and fell asleep again within ten minutes.

The third time, I finally made her get up and go to her bedroom.

Then when I went to bed, I checked in on her. She lying fully dressed on a pile of blankets with her glasses on and her mouth open and a bit of dribble coming down. I grabbed what bit of the blanket was loose and covered her up. That woke her up enough to take off her glasses and get covered properly.

And she continued to sleep until I had to leave for work at 7:30 the next morning when I woke her to send her to her mom's. And she barely woke up then!

More posts on my daughter

HUMOR and POLITICS:ICE Raids Liberate Terrible New Jobs, Homes For Americans

Ernest T Spoon sent me this from News Mutiny. - OlderMusicGeek

ICE Raids Liberate Terrible New Jobs, Homes for Americans

A series of coordinated raids by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has liberated hundreds of terrible jobs and homes for Americans, ICE officials report.

Conducted over the past two weeks, the raids targeted illegal aliens where they live - in low income housing tenements and encampments throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

An estimated 2,000 decrepit homes, tents and terrible, low paying jobs previously occupied by the migrants have been made available for American citizens as a result of the campaign, authorities say.

Michael Winter of Stockton, California, unemployed for more than ten months in large part due to competition posed by mostly illiterate, indigenous natives of Mexico who speak little English or Spanish, is thankful for his awful new job picking strawberries five times slower than his predecessors.

"Stooping over ten thousand times a day to hand pick ten thousand berries in the hot sun for half the money it would cost to rent an apartment for my family to sleep in isn't necessarily my dream job, but it definitely beats not having a job and living in a box in some canyon somewhere," Winter said.

Winter’s wife Sarah is as equally enthusiastic about the box she and her family are living in under an elder tree in Rosewell Canyon.

"The garbage bags nailed to the roof help keep some of the rain out," she said, "And the kids like it so far. Like they’re camping. They enjoy pooping in holes in the ground and just tossing their litter wherever. At first I tried to keep all the garbage contained in one place, but then figured, 'f*** it'."

David Loemann of the Conservative Coalition of America applauded the ICE raids: "In today's globalized, free market world, we've come to recognize that laws against business, and Mexicans, are inherently evil."

A link to the original site

CULTURE/SOCIETY: St Patrick's Day Quizzes

You're 0% Irish

You're not Irish. Not even a wee bit. Not even on St. Patrick's Day!

How Irish Are You?

Your Animal is the Goose

You are are a resourceful person who needs a lot of stability in life. You rather save for a rainy day, even if it means on missing out on fun impulses. When you feel secure, you are incredibly creative and artistic. You are also very witty. You like to invest in yourself and for the future. You like to always be learning and gaining skills.

What's Your Celtic Animal?

HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY!!!!!

D: YOU HATE SAINT PATRICKS DAY YOUR NO LEPRICAHN FRIEND OF MINE!

Fun quizzes, surveys & blog quizzes by

Take the quiz


LOL - I'm Mally Malone!

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Thank God I Was A Racist

A fellow former Peace Corps volunteer sent me a link to this story.

It's not quite the same experience I had. The country I lived in was next door to South Africa, but had a long history of North American and European volunteers helping them out. So they were used to white people living among them.

But it's similiar enough for me to want to put it here. - OlderMusicGeek

Stories - Allow Rating/Comments Social
Thank God I Was a Racist

February 17, 2009 Hits: 22627 0

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Pen Name

Bruce Muzik

I pulled up to my new home and felt terror in the pit of my stomach. But, I knew I had to go through with this. I saw the same fear in Dad’s eyes. “Are you sure you really want to do this?” he asked. I nodded and got out of the car. Next door, two people sat on empty beer crates, drinking beer, on the otherwise deserted street. I wanted to move into my new home quietly, with time to adjust to my new surroundings. But it was too late. The beer drinkers came over to find out why Dad and I were unloading boxes from my truck.

Another local arrived to watch, and within minutes, twenty-five staring people surrounded us, faces as black as night. One of them, a woman, came forward, “Umlungu (‘white man,’ in the Xhosa tongue), what you doing?”

“I’m moving in,” I told her warily as I pointed toward the dilapidated “shantytown” house that was my home for the next thirty days. I sensed her confusion as she turned to the others and translated what I’d said into Xhosa, their native language. As if in slow motion, the looks upon their faces turned from curiosity to disbelief. The crowd murmured in unison as they grappled with the concept of a white man moving into their black community in the township of Guguletu, the African equivalent of a ghetto or shantytown. Unsure of my real motives, the woman introduced herself to me as Maureen, my new neighbor. “What do you mean you are moving in?” Maureen asked.

I decided to tell the truth, as difficult as it was for me to admit. “I recently discovered that I’m a racist,” I told her boldly, not wanting her to know how terrified I was, “and I’m moving into Guguletu to learn about your culture and conquer my fear of black people.” A look of shock crossed their faces....

Maureen looked visibly shocked to hear my admission of being a racist. She translated to the now-baffled and suspicious locals who, after a few seconds of silence, proceeded to laugh as if this was the funniest joke they had ever heard. I later found out that some of them suspected I was a part of a secret police operation sent to infiltrate and spy on them....

The next morning, I woke up with a familiar feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. The reality of my circumstance sunk in, and I wanted to hide away in bed all day. I forced myself to go outside and eat my breakfast sitting on the front steps of my house. As I watched the locals scurry off to work, a small child, dressed in a school uniform, walked past me. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me, obviously shocked to see a white face eating breakfast in his township. “Do you live here?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

He looked away, paused for a second, then turned to me and said with wisdom beyond his years “Welcome home.” He turned away and continued his walk to school. Tears rolled down my cheeks as thirty years of racial prejudice evaporated in that instant. I was home...

A link to the complete piece

CULTURE/SOCIETY, SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY and ENTERTAINMENT: A Look At 2009 From The Past

Well, I tried to find what some of the older movies and books that 2009 would look like, but this is the best I could do. - OlderMusicGeek.

Predictions on Triviagasm from the website io9.

We Will Perfect Time Travel and Upload Our Consciousness to Computers (Freejack (1992)): In 2009, we will use time travel to steal bodies from the past moments before death. The still-living bodies will then be sold to the highest bidder, who may have already uploaded their consciousness to a machine. The lucky buyer will then take over the stolen body and start life anew.

Americans Will Struggle Through a Post-Apocalyptic Existence (The Postman by David Brin (1985)): Seventeen years after an apocalyptic event, Americans will continue to live without a postal service, radio system, or central government. Instead, they will live in isolated communities, waiting for signs of civilization's return. And, in 2009, a man in a postal uniform will start visiting these communities, carrying with him what appears to be a letter from the provisional government with promises for a better future.

A link to the piece and all the movies and books it mentions

From Wikipedia...

From the entry for Dark Angel...
On June 1, 2009, terrorists detonate an electromagnetic pulse weapon in the atmosphere over the U.S., which destroys the vast majority of computer and communication systems, throwing the country into utter chaos.

But here's some excerpts from an interesting piece from a 1909 article in New York Times.

The most interesting of (Jules Bois') predictions, perhaps, is that the present ideal of feminine beauty will have ceased to be held by the majority of the Caucasian race...

Further, M. Bois believes that motor cars will in a hundred years be things of the past, and a kind of flying bicycle will have been invented... Hardly anyone will remain in the cities at night. They will be places of business only. People of every class will reside in the country or in garden towns at considerable distances from the populous centres. Pneumatic railways and flaying cars and many other means of quick transit will be so developed...

"I believe," said M. Bois in conclusion, "that government by representatives bodies will be greatly modified. Nations will be governed by delegates of different castes...."

I got this from the website Paleo-Future, which describes itself as "A look into the future that never was". I think it's worth a check! I cut the article down, you can see the whole thing here.

Thomas Quotes Max Factor On The Woman Of The Future

HOLLYWOOD (A.P.) -- Fifty years from now, a woman of 50 will be just as alluring as a girl of 20.

"When my father started the company in 1909, women scarcely used cosmetics at all," (Max Factor) commented. "They pinched their cheeks to give them color. The only ones who painted their lips were women of questionable repute or theatrical types - and there was little distinction between the two.

"Gradually, the use of makeup became almost universal among women. Now girls start wearing it at 14 or younger instead of waiting until they are 18."

What about 50 years hence?

"People will be living longer. People will want to avoid the lines and sags of old age as long as possible.

"I firmly believe that in the future women of 50 years or more will look as appealing as girls of 20. We are keeping in touch with scientific experiments in Europe on youth-giving cosmetics."

Factor also foresees the extensive use of cosmetics by men 50 years from now, and for the same reason; to keep young. Men who live longer will want to work longer; hence they'll need to avoid looking aged. Among the Factor predictions: A pill which will forestall the graying of hair.

A link to the complete article on Paleo-Future

Paleo-Future's posts on the year 2009
"8 Movie Futures Already Proven Wrong" from Cracked.com

HUMOR: Some Halloween Top 10 Lists

Surfing the net, I found these at possumsal.com. - OlderMusicGeek

Ten Signs You Are Too Old For Halloween
10. You get winded from knocking on the door
9. You have to have someone chew the candy for you
8. You ask for high fiber candy only.
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "Great Keith Richards mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and you can't remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hair piece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
1. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live.

Why Pumpkins are better than Men
1. Every year you get a brand new crop to choose from.
2. No matter what your mood is, pumpkins are always ready to greet you with a smile.
3. One usually makes a better pie.
4. They are always on the doorstep there waiting for you!
5. If you don't like the way he looks, you just carve up another face.
6. If he starts smelling up your place, you can just throw him out.
7. From the start you know a pumpkin has an empty, mush filled head to begin with.
8. A pumpkin is turned on (lit-up) only when you want him to be.

The Top 10 Houses to AVOID while Trick-or Treating
1. Any house that seems to be imploding into a space-time wormhole.
2. Any house made of food.
3. Any house whose only entrance goes to the basement.
4. Any house where the high tension wires suddenly stop right above it.
5. Any house that has ornamental lawn hyenas.
6. Any house that growls "get out."
7. Any house where the furniture seems to be walking across the living room floor.
8. Any house that looks like a giant pulsating orb floating 3 feet off the
ground.
9. Any house with various and extremely realistic statues in the front yard
of people in odd "running away" poses.
10. Any house that wasn't there only a minute ago...

I already posted this, but fits in, so I'm posting it again! - OMGeek

HUMOR: Some Halloween Comics

Here are some comics Ernest T Spoon sent me for Halloween. - OlderMusicGeek

Post On Another Blog

"MUSIC: Songs Of The Day - Halloween Edition (Oct 11): The Soundtrack To "Psycho" By Bernard Herrmann on OlderMusicGeek's Stupid Entertainment Stuff

ENTERTAINMENT: George Carlin Died

This is from me, NOT some reprinted from somewhere else. - OlderMusicGeek

Some people have said George Carlin has passed on or that we lost him. Well, neither are true. He's dead, maybe even screaming up at us.


I have to admit I haven't listen or watched George Carlin much in the last 20 years.

And that's unfortunate, because from what I have seen and read, he was still putting out some very good and funny material.


I guess in some ways, I had felt I had outgrown George Carlin. George said, "I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately." And that was great in my teens and 20's.

But as you get older, you find rebelling for it's own sake doesn't seem that fun. I remember an interview with Jon Waters, a director who did many gross films in his youth. The interviewer asked him about how his movies weren't the same now that he is older. I don't remember his exact words, but he said something along the lines of making wild films that are gross in your 20's is fun - doing it in your 40's is pathetic.

That's kind the way I felt about listening to George Carlin. I thought I'm willing to stand up for what I believe in and take the heat, but I'm not interested in just shocking people.

And that's what my friends and I used George for, shocking people. "Hey, listen to this." "Listen to this comedian rattle off these cuss words." George Carlin and Cheech and Chong were our mild, white, midwestern way of rebelling! We loved it because we knew our parents and teachers didn't!

Well, when I didn't need to shock anybody anymore, I thought there was no need for George. Unfortunately, what I didn't realize - was that George wasn't shocking people just for shock's sake either. George was also standing up for what he believed in and taking whatever heat came with it.

So then after a few interviews and a couple of HBO specials, I finally realized that. But I still never watched him much. "Ehh, I catch it later. I don't have the time now." Unfortunately, now that there will be no new material, I might be able to catch up on his stuff.

George Carlin didn't believe in an afterlife. Hopefully, he's wrong, because he deserves a good place in it.

George Carlin’s Secret News from ‘When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops’
Announcer: Good Evening ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the secret news.
Ssshhh.
Here’s the secret news:
All people are afraid.
No one knows what they’re doing.
Everything is getting worse.
Some people deserve to die.
Your money is worthless.
No one is properly dressed.
At least one of your children will disappoint you.
The system is rigged.
Your house will never be completely clean.
All teachers are incompetent.
There are people who really dislike you.
Nothing is as good as it seems.
Things don’t last.
No one is paying attention.
The country is dying.
God doesn’t care.
Ssshhh.

A link to George Carlin's home page
An interview with George Carlin from NPR's Fresh Air

POLITICS: What To Do With Our Rebate Checks

Well, I already put the text up 3 months ago, but Ernest T Spoon sent me some cartoons that go well with it, so I posting it again with the cartoons! Plus, I figured I better put them up while they're still topical! - OlderMusicGeek

How to use the rebate

As you may have heard the Bush Administration said each and every one of us would now get a nice rebate.

If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.

If we spend it on gasoline, it will all go to the Middle East.

If we purchase a computer, it will all go to India.

If we purchase fruit and vegetables, it will all go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.

If we purchase a good car, it will all go to Japan.

If we purchase useless crap, it will all go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy.

We need to keep that money here in America, so the only way to keep that money here at home is to buy prostitutes and beer, since those are the only businesses still in the U.S.