Top 10 X-Files Episodes

Here are my top 10 favorite episodes of the X-Files.

1. Jose Chung’s From Outer Space (1996): A lighthearted episode in which author Jose Chung (Charles Nelson Riley) investigates a UFO abduction. The case involves government deception, phony aliens, Lord Kinbote, and a pair of men in black that look like Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek. Confusing things further, witnesses all have differing accounts of events.

2. Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose (1995): A serial killer targets psychics and fortune tellers. Mulder and Scully are aided in hunting the killer by a real clairvoyant. Clyde Bruckman (Peter Boyle) can foresee people's deaths after obsessing over the random nature of the Big Bopper's death. In the end, Mulder is saved by random events as Scully accidentally arrived to save him.

3. Duane Barry/Ascension (1994): In part one, Mulder meets Duane Berry (Steve Railsback) in a hostage standoff. Barry claims he was abducted by aliens and Mulder believes him. In the second part, Berry kidnaps Scully and surrenders her to the aliens. Meanwhile, Mulder's new partner, Alex Krycek turns out to be a member of the conspiracy. Scully's abduction was a seminal moment in 1990s pop culture.

4. Die Hand Die Verletzt (1995): A Satanic cult loses it's faith and Satan appears to punish them. One is eaten by a snake while the surviving members kidnap Mulder and Scully for a sacrifice. Satan intervenes and they are forced to shoot themselves instead. 

5. Anasazi/The Blessing Way/Paper Clip (1995): A three part arch featuring Mulder's fall into madness as a result of poisoning and his recovery with the help of Navajo Indians. The conspiracy executes Mulder's father, a tape emerges with information about government UFO information, and buried train cars with alien bodies are discovered. The Cigarette Smoking Man tries to kill Mulder in the car, but he escapes and his aided by Navajos. While recovering, Mulder's dead friends and family visit him from the spirit realm. The arch also reveals which side Skinner is on.

6. Beyond the Sea (1994): A death row inmate, Luther Lee Boggs (Brad Dourff), claims psychic visions and offers to help find a kidnapper. Scully's beliefs are called into question as she is skeptical of Boggs. At the same time, she is in mourning for her father who passed. Boggs hoped for a deal, but is refused. He helps the agents anyway and even tells Scully how to save Mulder. He tells her to not follow the criminal to the blue devil. She is shocked to see a blue devil painted on rotted floorboards. The kidnapper falls through the boards to his death.

7. Pilot (1993): Most series pilots are weak. The X-Files is an exception. Scully and Mulder are assigned to the X-Files project. He believes in the paranormal while she is a skeptic sent to debunk Mulder's work. Their first case takes them to Oregon where they investigate alien abductions.

8. Biogenesis/The Sixth Extinction/The Sixth Extinction II (1999): A metal artifact is discovered in Africa. The artifact turns Mulder into a raving lunatic. Scully travels to Africa to try and uncover the truth. Mulder hovers near death before Scully rescues him with Diana Fowley's assistance. Fowley is murdered for her actions. This is the last great X-Files episode and story arc.

9. Squeeze (1993): Mulder and Scully investigate a serial killer that strikes every thirty years. Eugene Tooms (Doug Hutchinson) needs human livers to survive. He awakes every thirty years, hunts, and then returns to hibernate in a nest. Tooms has the ability to elongate his body to sneak through small, confined places. The agents find Tooms apartment which resembles an animal's nest. Eventually, Tooms is captured, but returns in 1994.

10. The Erlenmeyer Flask (1994): The X-Files set up several storylines with this episode. The agents discover evidence of alien abductions and human experimentation. At the end, Mulder's mentor and source "Deep Throat" (Jerry Hardin) is murdered in front of Scully leading many to question whether the series could continue. As he lay dying, he warned Scully to "trust no one." For me, this is a seminal moment in the series and in 90's pop culture.

Presidential Songs: George W. Bush

George W. Bush did not have an official campaign song. However, on the night of the 2000 election, one clever staffer decided to play "Won't Get Fooled Again" by the Who to represent the defeat of the Clinton order.

Won't Get Fooled Again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6-wG5LLqE

The Bush 43 Administration proved one of the more controversial in history. Perhaps the most controversial decision of the entire period came in 2003. That year, the United States resumed offensive military operations in Iraq. Although Bush did not have a campaign song for 2004, cynics might have chosen this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVyVIsvQoaE

Presidential Songs: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton ushered in the boomer presidents with his 1992 election. That year, he used the upbeat and positive "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac as his campaign theme song. Four years later, the president did not use a theme song, but the campaign considered using "These Are The Days" by 10,000 Maniacs.

Don't Stop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8arvEzHsA8

These Are The Days:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-HLxpWGCzc

Someone more cynical might use this to describe the Lewinski Affair:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G8DCFJ4vr4

Lastly, the Clinton Years were a break from history and coincided with the rise of the tabloid culture. Clinton's antics often fed into that culture and at times seemed like a SNL skit. So, if there is a song that fits the Clinton Administration, it's this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripdiYe8MUA

A Modern Dante's Inferno

In the fourteenth century, Dante created some of our conceptions about Hell. In the poem, Dante is escorted through Hell by the Roman poet Virgil. Dante's Hell has multiple levels and punishments are leveled upon sinners based on their crimes. This is not a one size fits all hell.

The Inferno has nine circles. Each circle represents a different sin and Dante placed real historical figures into these categories. Modern readers will not know most of these characters. So, here is an updated version...
First Circle: Limbo (Unbaptised and Virtuous Pagans)

Gandhi: The Indian mahatma led his country's independence movement through non-violent civil disobedience. However, he was not a Christian. As a result, he lands in Dante's first circle.

Second Circle: Lust

Wilt Chamberlain: Wilt claimed to have bedded over 20,000 women.

Third Circle: Gluttony

Jim Morrison: Jim did everything to excess and eventually ballooned out.

Fourth Circle: Avarice (Greed)

Ken Lay: The former Enron chief destroyed his company and wiped out his workers. Before the trial, Lay was worth around $40 million.

Fifth Circle: Wrath

Bernhard Goetz (space waiting): Yeah, he's still alive, but Goetz is the poster child for vigilantism.

Sixth Circle: Heresy

Joseph Smith: He convinced his followers that an angel visited him. He compiled the Book of Mormon and created his own branch of Christianity.
Seventh Circle: Violence

Toward Others: Ike Turner: Ike was a well known wife-beater.

Toward Self (Suicide): Kurt Cobain: Cobain shot himself at the peak of his popularity.

Toward God (Blasphemy): Muhammad Atta: Pick your terrorist for believing that killing people for Islam will get them 72 virgins and make God happy.

Toward Nature (Sodomy): Gerry Studds: Congressman Studds got involved with underage male pages.

Toward Art (Usury): JP Morgan: Is anyone a better example of Usury?

Eighth Circle: Fraud

Seducers: Marquis de Sade: The Maquis lived a scandalous life based on sexual liberty.

Flatterers: Joseph Goebbels: Goebbels served as Hitler's propaganda minister.

Simony: Reserved for George Soros: Simony is the sin of paying for church sacraments and offices. A modern equivalent might be the purchase of political influence. Soros has bought one of America's major political parties.

False Prophets: Jim Jones: Jones portrayed himself as a holy man and killed his followers.

Barraters: Boss Tweed: Tweed was the most corrupt politician in U.S. history.

Hypocrites: Jimmy Swaggert: 'nuf said.

Thieves: Jesse James: Jesse James was the most famous of the Old West outlaws.

False Counselors: Johnny Cochrane: Pick your lawyer...Cochrane got O.J. off for murder.

Schismatics: George Wallace: Few politicians have sewed as much discord as George Wallace.

Falsifiers: Alger Hiss: Hiss was a traitor, Soviet agent, and perjurer.

Ninth Circle: Betrayal

Kin: Lizzy Borden: There may be no greater betrayal than murdering one's family.

Country: Benedict Arnold: Arnold is America's greatest traitor. He almost succeeded in surrendering West Point to the British.

Guests: Ayatollah Khomeini: Iran held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days from 1979-1981. The American embassy workers were guests in Iran and Khomeini betrayed them.

Benefactors: Mary Queen of Scots: Mary became embroiled in a plot of overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I. Mary lived under Elizabeth's protection and betrayed her cousin.

Top 10 Moments in KC Royals History

Although they have fallen on hard times the last decade and a half, the Royals were once one of the class organizations in MLB. From 1976-1985, they made seven postseason appearances. They also boasted one of baseball's all time greats in George Brett.

Here are the top 10 moments in Royals history in chronological order:

Steve Busby's No-hitter (April 27, 1973): Busby no-hit the Detroit Tigers for the first no-no in Royals history. Busby walked 6 and struck out 4.

Larry Gura shuts out A’s 4-0 to win AL West (September 29, 1976): The Royals franchise entered the American League in 1969. They won their first division title in 1976. Larry Gura's shutout propelled the Royals into their first postseason. The team won three straight division titles losing to New York in the playoffs each time.

George Brett hits 3 HR off Catfish Hunter in Game 3 ALCS (October 6, 1978): George Brett became the second player in LCS history to hit three homers in a game. His effort led KC to a 6-5 victory over New York. Bob Robertson in 1971 and Adam Kennedy in 2002 also hit three in one game. Unfortunately, the Royals lost the ALCS to New York.

George Brett hits .390 (1980): George Brett made a run at hitting .400 in the 1980 season. He finished at .390 and led the league in hitting, slugging, and on-base percentage. He also had 118 RBI in 117 games in winning the MVP. It remains the highest average for a full season since Ted Williams in .406 in 1941. Tony Gwynn hit .394 in a strike shortened campaign.

Royals: 4 Yankees: 2 (October 10, 1980): George Brett hit a dramatic third deck three run home run off Goose Gossage at Yankee Stadium sending the Royals to their first World Series. The Royals finally slayed the dragon after three postseason defeats.

The Pine Tar Incident (July 24, 1983): With 2 out in the ninth, George Brett hit another dramatic homer off Goose Gossage giving the Royals a 5-4 lead. Yankee manager Billy Martin protested Brett's bat claiming it violated pine tar rules. The umpires ruled Brett out and the KC third baseman charged the men in blue. Eventually, the league ruled in Brett's favor, KC returned to New York to finish the game, and the Royals beat the Yankees 5-4.

Comeback from 3-1 down to beat Toronto (1985): The Royals fell behind the Toronto Blue Jays 3 games to 1. Danny Jackson shut out the Jays in Game 5. George Brett's homer helped beat Doyle Alexander in Game 6. The Royals closed out the Jays with a 4 run sixth inning against Dave Stieb winning their second pennant.

Royals: 11 Cardinals: 0 (October 27, 1985): The Royals fell behind the Cardinals 3-1. As in the ALCS, Danny Jackson pitched the Royals to a Game 5 win. The Royals won a contested matchup 2-1 on a blown call at first base and a Cardinal meltdown. In Game 7, pitcher Bret Saberhagen put his cleats to the Cards throats, St. Louis came apart at the seams, and the Royals shutout their cross state rivals. The Royals won their first World Title.

George Brett wins batting title (1990): George Brett became the first player to win batting titles in three decades. In 1976, he hit .333. In 1980, Brett hit .390. Ten years later, .329 led the league. Brett remains the only player to achieve this.

George Brett gets 3000th hit (1992): The greatest Royal of them all collected his 3000th hit in 1992. He finished the season at .285 before retiring in 1993. The Hall of Famers ended his career with 3154 hits and a .305 average.

Presidential Songs: George H.W. Bush

President Bush #41 did not really have a campaign song, but here are a couple of things that might fit...

Hard Times (Kinda catchy!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhYIky4XZx0

History Shorts: The Ten Commandments (1250 BC)

Like the Code of Hammurabi, the Ten Commandments help form the basis of western law. The Ten Commandments are wrapped in the Biblical story of Exodus. Scholars and the faithful have debated the Exodus and whether or not it happened, but there does seem to be some evidence to support the event. Despite this, we do not have a clear date for Exodus or the Ten Commandments. It seems to have occurred somewhere between 1550 B.C. and 1250 B.C.

The commandments and Exodus have provided pop culture with material for centuries.

Here are some modern examples:

Mel Brooks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk

Yul Brynner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqowzbnKLqs&feature=related

Parting the Red Sea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vxnApK4O48&feature=related

History Shorts: Atlantis (1600 BC)

Atlantis may have existed on the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea. Sometime around 1600 B.C., the Thera supervolcano exploded destroying Minoan civilization on the island. The Minoans were the first advanced civilization in Europe. They had extensive trade networks and formidable navy. The Minoan civilization disappeared following the explosion marking an important historical turning point as Greek power shifted from Santorini to the mainland.

Nat Geo on the Thera eruption:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRBC-TFtxHw&feature=related

Pop culture: Atlantis by Donovan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leI7sfmipuI

Perhaps the closest pop culture has come to Atlantis' destruction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDixDGokCE

Some more Earth-bound Atlantians:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRWeaHkxXwE

and Aquaman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AlIaagHaFc

2010 All Major League Baseball Team

1b- Miguel Cabrera- Detroit


2b- Robinson Cano- Yankees

SS- Troy Tulowitzki- Colorado

3b- Adrian Beltre- Boston

OF- Ichiro- Seattle

OF- Carlos Gonzalez- Colorado

OF- Josh Hamilton- Texas

C- Joe Mauer- Minnesota

DH- Vladimir Guerrero- Texas

Utility- Omar Infante- Braves

RHP- Roy Halladay- Philadelphia

LHP- C.C. Sabathia- Yankees

REL- Joaquin Benoit- Tampa Bay

Closer- Brian Wilson- Giants

MVP: Joey Votto, Josh Hamilton
Cy Young: CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay
Rookie of the Year: Buster Posey, Austin Jackson
Manager of the Year: Bud Black, Ron Washington

Presidential Songs: Ronald Reagan

President Reagan did not have any real campaign songs. He did try to use John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses," but the artist protested. Mellencamp vehemently opposed Reagan's policies.

Pink Houses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOfkpu6749w&ob=av2e

Since Reagan is credited with ending the Cold War, perhaps this would have been a better Mellencamp selection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PErUiAyVoGc

Presidential Songs: Jimmy Carter

People questioned whether the government could be competent and honest. Well, Jimmy Carter says yes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h874BPSnbWc

Of course the song that best fits the Carter years is by Gloria Gaynor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I

Presidential Songs: Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford captained the University of Michigan football team winning two national titles. Forty years later, he became president. Instead of "Hail to the Chief", the marine band often played "Hail to the Victors."

The Victors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnkOkraJXK4

Ford at U-M:

http://mvictors.com/?p=179

Quotes of the Month: September 2010

Quote of the Month: "We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar."


-Christine O’Donnell

Dumb Quote of the Month #1: "Long before America was even an idea, this land of plenty was home to many peoples. The British and French, the Dutch and Spanish, to Mexicans, to countless Indian tribes. We all shared the same land,"

-Barack Obama (Mexico became a nation in 1821. The United States formed in 1776).

Dumb Quote of the Month #2: "He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. He's made their lives better."

-Patty Murray on Osama bin Laden

And the rest:

“They talk about me like a dog.”

-Barack Obama

“Hey, Castro came out against anti-Semitism. I'm putting on my snowsuit and booking the flight to Hell.”

-Jason Alexander

"The time I stand up here blaming the officials for a loss is the time I don't have to do this anymore."

-Detroit Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz

“We just sucked.”

-Tom Brady on a loss to the Jets

"The United States administrations must recognize Iran is a big power.”

-Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

“We in the Senate refer to Sen. Gillibrand as the hottest member.”

-Harry Reid

“I feel that my role as a former president is probably superior to that of other presidents'.

-Jimmy Carter

"It was his fault. Ted Kennedy killed the bill."

-Jimmy Carter on why he did not pass National Health Care

"Catching Boehner with a mistress is the only way to destroy him politically before the election."

-anonymous source from the NY Times

"I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."

-Stephen Colbert