THE KE WHONKUS PEOPLE aka A Tale of the North Pole Country (1890) – The author John O. Greene was American, but the main character in this story is a Canadian named Sampson De Lilly. Sampson survives a shipwreck and is picked up by a steamship headed for the North Pole.
When the steamer hits too much ice and mist to proceed any further, De Lilly and other crew members continue heading north on dogsleds. Ultimately, they reach Ke Whonkus, a previously unknown island just south of the Pole, but possessed of a warm climate.
The island is inhabited by 4 and a half million people, all of them white and some of them survivors of the doomed expedition of John Franklin in the 1840s. Those survivors speak English and serve as translators for Sampson and his colleagues.
Most technology on Ke Whonkus is more advanced than in the rest of the world. The inhabitants have electric lighting through all the populated areas, plus electric cars and trains. Continue reading
NORTH STAR ATHLETIC CONFERENCE – It was all chalk in the opening round of the NSAC Tournament. The top-seeded MAYVILLE STATE COMETS swatted the (8) PRESENTATION COLLEGE SAINTS 91-63 ### Meanwhile, the 4 seeds – the VALLEY CITY STATE VIKINGS – eliminated the (5) BELLEVUE (NE) BRUINS 72-54 ### And the (3) DICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKS won 72-60 over the (6) DAKOTA STATE TROJANS. 
RELIC OF FORT TEJON (November 3rd, 1957) – Here’s something a little different from the usual for Balladeer’s Blog’s Forgotten Television category. The 1950s James Garner series Maverick was an all-time classic, but this particular episode is often overlooked. 
Previously, I’ve examined the 
In the past, Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog has posted items regarding all the presidents, all the vice presidents, overlooked secretaries of state, etc. This year I’m going with something different, because there is always something so intriguing about contemporary coverage of presidents. 
PREZ Vol 1 #1 (September 1973) 
This caught the attention of corrupt political handler Boss Smiley, whose head was one of those syrupy and kitschy smiley faces that had become widespread by 1973. Boss Smiley and slimy advertising mogul Misery Marko recruited Prez to run for the Senate as their pawn, using the slogan “He made the clocks run on time.” (a Mussolini joke, of course) 
LORRAINE HANSBURY: TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK (January 20th) – A 90-minute biography of African-American playwright Lorraine Hansbury, whose works include A Raisin in the Sun. Her husband Robert Nemiroff wrote this drama which includes performances of scenes from her plays. Ruby Dee, Roy Scheider, Blythe Danner, Barbara Barrie and Claudia McNeil were among the cast members. 
AMERICAN PRESIDENTS FROM EISENHOWER TO TRUMP – Be forewarned that my takes on U.S. Presidents can offend members of both major parties since I’m an Independent Voter. Anyway, don’t try accusing me of belonging to either party. I go after both sides’ presidents. Click 
AN IDEAL HUSBAND (January 14th) – Adaptation of the play by Oscar Wilde. THE Jeremy Brett starred as the good guy, Viscount Arthur Goring, who takes action when the brother of his lady love Mabel Chiltern (Susan Hampshire) is being blackmailed by a conniving socialite (Margaret Leighton). Originally aired in England in 1969. 90 minutes. 
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