THE AUTOMATIC MAID-OF-ALL-WORK. A POSSIBLE TALE OF THE NEAR FUTURE (1893) – Written by female author M.L. Campbell. Obviously I shortened the title for my blog post headline. Balladeer’s Blog’s look at “ancient” science fiction continues with this 1893 robot story.
Well-to-do John Matheson and his wife are having a hard time keeping a maid. To satisfy his hard to please wife, the inventor works away in his laboratory/ workshop to perfect his new idea: a mechanized “Maid-Of-All-Work” hoping this will solve the domestic staff issue. Continue reading
As always Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog is the only site on the web that criticizes both Democrats and Republicans equally. Let me repeat something I’ve long maintained: Democrat Bill Clinton did not deserve to be impeached. It was a cheapening of the process.
But just like the absurd witch-hunt after Bill Clinton this witch-hunt after Trump has nothing to do with facts. Nothing to do with the truth, either. It’s a Nuremberg Rally against President Trump and his supporters. As always the Democrats show the Republicans that any stupidity they ever pursued the Democrats can out-do them. 
POLEIS – In this post I’m looking at Poleis (Cities), written by Eupolis, one of the Big Three of Ancient Greek Comedy along with Aristophanes and Cratinus. This satirical comedy is dated from approximately 422 B.C. to 419 B.C. Like so many other such comedies it has survived only in fragmentary form. 
NO SURVIVORS PLEASE (1964) – This obscure black & white wonder from West Germany is one of the most memorably weird movies of its time. It’s not easy to describe what makes it so appealing. The fundamental story – aliens plan to wipe out all life on Earth – has been done too many times to count. Not even their method is all that unique – the ET’s project their consciousness into the bodies of freshly-dead human beings – which has been done in other movies. 
No Survivors Please
Cyberfrog and Heather Swain are back in action! In the tradition of other great duos like Rocket Raccoon and Groot, Howard the Duck and Beverly Switzler, Rocky and Bullwinkle or Crusader Rabbit and Rags the Tiger, everyone’s favorite frog/ full-grown woman pair have returned in their first new adventure since the 1990s. 
Van Sciver, after legendary runs at Marvel and DC, is the leader of the comic book “outlaws” pursuing their own projects free from the corporate influence of the Big Two publishers. 
Time for another round of Transgress With Me:
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER SEVEN – NCAA Division Two’s 17th ranked COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS traveled to face the country’s number 7 team – the COLORADO STATE AT PUEBLO THUNDERWOLVES. The Orediggers were unintimidated, leading the Thunderwolves 28-7 at the break before coasting to a 34-14 victory.
NUMBER EIGHT TAKES A FALL – In the NAIA the KEISER UNIVERSITY SEAHAWKS took the field against the visiting number 8 team in the nation – the REINHARDT UNIVERSITY EAGLES (should be the Rottweilers). A 7-0 lead for the Seahawks remained unchanged come Halftime. Reinhardt pulled to within 7-6 to end the 3rd Quarter before Keiser U won the game 14-12 in the 4th. 
HAPPY HILLSDALE – Back in NCAA Division Two the storied HILLSDALE COLLEGE CHARGERS welcomed the LAKE ERIE COLLEGE STORM. The Chargers led 14-7 at the Half. From there the Storm cut the lead to 20-14 in the 3rd Quarter before Hillsdale College floored it in the 4th for a 34-14 triumph. 
MESSAGES FROM MARS BY THE AID OF THE TELESCOPE PLANT (1892) – Written by Robert D Braine. I shortened the title for the blog post headline. The main character of this novel is a sailor named Nordhausen. After leaving Madagascar our hero winds up shipwrecked on an uncharted island. 
The natives take him through a cave entrance to their hidden village which is a blend of the primitive and the futuristic. For the “sacrilege” of damaging one of the telescope plants Nordhausen is to be executed. The means? A device formed from several of the lens-like leaves which magnify the sunlight into a makeshift heat-ray, like holding a magnifying glass over a piece of paper to catch it on fire. 
“Michaela Chavez (not pictured) is a former Democrat who says she’s been a supporter of Donald Trump from Day One. She likes how his administration is handling the economy and feels he’s negotiating better trade deals for the country.” (Note from Balladeer: I’m a former Democrat, too, now Independent.)
“Ernie Salazar weighed in: ““Hispanic unemployment is at a historical low,” he said. “African American unemployment is at a historic low. He’s (Trump’s) taking care of people of color. If you look in a box of crayons, you’ll see a white crayon, too.”
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