Time for the latest current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.
U.S. MANUFACTURING CONTINUES TO ROAR BACK UNDER TRUMP. Remember when Obama pompously gloated that “them jobs ain’t comin’ back.”
TREASURY ADVISOR STATES THE BLUE-COLLAR BOOM WILL GET EVEN BETTER UNDER TRUMP’S POLICIES.
HILLARY BITTERLY CONTINUES RANTING ABOUT HOW DONALD TRUMP SUCCESSFULLY KEPT HER AND HER CORRUPT RETINUE OUT OF THE PRESIDENCY. It’s hilarious how her rightful defeat apparently haunts her every waking moment.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IN OHIO CHARGED WITH FILMING HIMSELF SEXUALLY ABUSING A TWELVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL. Is he the next Cause Celebre for Democrats, who often romanticize figures like this?
CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON DISCUSSES PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SUCCESS ON THE BORDER AND FIGHTING CRIME.
CORRUPT “JUDGE” BOASBERG’S TIES TO FISA AND THE RUSSIA HOAX AGAINST TRUMP.
MORE ABOUT THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO LETITIA JAMES’ SCANDALS. “No one is above the law.”
THE TALIBAN CELEBRATES THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIDEN-HARRIS REGIME’S DISASTROUS WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN BY PARADING THE MILITARY HARDWARE THAT BIDEN AND HARRIS LEFT FOR THEM. More HERE. And HERE. THE TALIBAN HAS MADE LIFE HELL FOR WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN. And gutless, privileged white Democrat poseurs in Handmaid’s Tale costumes are silent about it.
DEMOCRAT MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS CHARGED WITH FRAUD, CONSPIRACY TO OBSTRUCT JUSTICE, WIRE FRAUD AND FALSE STATEMENTS BEFORE A GRAND JURY. Continue reading
The title Baptae came from the fact that the worshippers of Cotyto would immerse or “baptize” their garments in blue, green or purple dye, an expensive and very ostentatious indulgence for the time period. And yes, Baptae and baptizing are from the same root word, since it originally referred to immersion in any liquid, not just water.
RED NAILS – I always like to emphasize that – despite the way Marvel Comics’ 1970s and 1980s Conan stories kept the character’s name alive and introduced new generations to him – the Cimmerian was not a mere comic book figure. Iconic author Robert E. Howard introduced Conan on the printed page in his 1930s stories featuring the character. 
I. This first installment introduces readers to a blonde female pirate – Valeria of the Red Brotherhood. She is the only female pirate among them and is as notoriously deadly as the others. NOTE: Yes, this is the character that Sandahl Bergman played in the 1982 Conan the Barbarian film. That movie made her a standard thief instead of a pirate and – sadly – gave her the “ghostly return” scene that actually belonged to Conan’s true love Belit (Bay-LEET) from 
THE QUEER SIDE OF THINGS (1890s) – Written by James Frank Sullivan. Straight from the Gay Nineties, it’s a selection of Sullivan’s contributions to the Strand magazine’s short fiction column The Queer Side of Things. 
Before MST3K we had The Texas 27 Film Vault! Before Joel and Mike we had Randy and Richard! (I often start my reviews of this 1985-1987 cult show this way to cut down on messages from people who don’t pay attention to the broadcast dates and try insisting that Randy and Richard “ripped off” MST3K. That’s impossible since their show came first.) 
SERIAL: For this episode the movie was preceded by a chapter of Mysterious Doctor Satan, about a mad scientist trying to conquer the world with a very goofy- looking robot. Another extra was Randy and Richard’s interview with Ben Johnson at his ranch. Johnson appeared in the episode’s film as well. 
THE MOVIE: TERROR TRAIN – A New Year’s Eve slasher film set on a train carrying a load of partying passengers who plan to ring in the New Year in each time zone of the United States. As required by law at the time, Jamie Lee Curtis starred since it was a slasher flick with a seasonal theme. (Look under the Federal Halloween, Halloween II and Prom Night Act of 1980 if you don’t believe me.) 
*** 1. UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS ### 2. NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE CARDINALS (defending national champions) ### 3. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BLUE JAYS ### 4. SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY JOHNNIES ### 
5. SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY RIVER HAWKS ### 6. HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY COWBOYS ### 7. UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS ### 8. SALISBURY UNIVERSITY SEA GULLS ### 
The Etruscan people, who were a bit of a bridge between the ancient Greek world and the emerging Roman world long ago, remain a historical enigma in so many ways. 
TINIA – The Chief of the Etruscan deities, like Zeus to the Greeks and Jupiter to the Romans. In the Etruscan creation myth Tinia separated the Earth from the sky and delineated borders between nations. Tinia ruled the sky and wielded three sorts of lightning bolts – one sort for warnings, one sort for intervening in affairs of gods or men for good or ill and one sort for inflicting catastrophes. 
