THE BRICK MOON (1872) – Written by Edward Everett Hale, best known for The Man without a Country. This novella started out as a serialized story published in 1869 in the October, November and December issues of Atlantic Monthly. A follow-up installment, titled Life in the Brick Moon, was published in the February 1870 issue.
In 1872, the entire four-part piece was published by Roberts Brothers as part of His Level Best and Other Stories, which contained works by multiple authors. The Brick Moon was published again in 1899 as part of Edward Everett Hale’s The Brick Moon and Other Stories.
The story begins in the 1840s when Frederic Ingham, the tale’s narrator, and his college friends Orcutt and Halliburton plan a dream project which winds up taking decades to fulfill – a manmade artificial satellite, the first recorded in science fiction stories.
The possibility of wireless communication was unknown in that time period, so the three friends don’t plan to use their Brick Moon to transmit and receive communications. They instead plan for it to serve as a heavenly object that ships at sea can use as a marker. Continue reading
THE VOYAGE OF MAEL DUIN (Immram curaig Mail Duin) – Dated to around the late 900s A.D. or earlier, this story deals with the epic quest of Mael Duin (aka Maildun and Maeldune) and the crew of his ship as he seeks revenge on his father’s killers. This lengthy epic deserves to be as well-known as the Odyssey or the Quest for the Golden Fleece.
Mael Duin matured, and proved better than his presumed siblings at athletic, martial and academic competitions. Losing their temper over this, one of our hero’s foster brothers ridiculed Mael Duin for not even knowing who his real father and mother were. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – This title tilt pitted the 5th seeded NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY RAMS against the 6 seeds – the CROWN COLLEGE POLARS. The Rams went on top early and led 40-25 by Halftime. After the break, they got even more separation from the Polars, ultimately winning the game 76-51. Carmello McNeal led North Central U. with 23 points. 
ROUND TWO: GAME ONE – The AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY GYRENES did battle with the FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FALCONS. A shootout was in store with Friends University on top 64-59 at the Half. From there, the Gyrenes made their move, overtaking the Falcons and winning the game by a Century Club score of 108-102. Jaylen White and Jack Watkins led Ave Maria with 21 points each. 
JANUARY 31st, 2017 – 
MARVEL PREMIERE Vol 1 #41 (Apr 1978) 
The crew members we meet in this debut story – 1. Captain Jordan Shaw (right), a decent man appalled at the way the Six have chosen to play God with who gets to escape and who gets left behind to die. He cooperates just so he and his wife can survive, so he bitterly knows he is no better than the oligarchs in the end. 
And 5. Phaedra (left), a mutant with telekinetic and telepathic abilities. She and Earth’s hundreds of other mutants live in prison camps at the Six’s command while their abilities are probed. They are all forced to wear facial tattoos to prevent them hiding their mutant status. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The 1 seeds – the PENN STATE AT YORK LIONS – battled the Cinderella 6th seeded MIAMI UNIVERSITY AT HAMILTON HARRIERS. This game was a defensive epic, with the Lions on top at Halftime by a mere 25-19. After the break, PSU-York kept the Harriers at arm’s length to win the title 56-48. James Barlow led the Lions with a Double Double of 15 points and 21 rebounds. 
FIRST QUARTERFINAL – The 6th seeded CROWN COLLEGE POLARS took the court against the 3 seeds – the MANHATTAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE THUNDER. The Thunder seemed to be in control at the Half with their 36-28 lead, but from there Crown College roared back. The Polars proceeded to upset MCC by a final score of 71-64. Leading Crown College was Anthony Knight, who tossed in 26 points. 
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