FRANCOIS VILLON (1431-1463?) – The swashbuckling legends that surround this real-life French poet have sometimes been compared to tales of Robin Hood or Dick Turpin. Like Dick Turpin, Villon really did exist, but in his case he left behind an impressive body of literary work and he is still considered one of France’s greatest poets.
However, a vast body of folklore embellishing the man’s outlaw career and romantic speculation surrounding his final fate make it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Villon’s lifetime output of poetry – much of which has been lost – went on to influence generations of artists to this very day.
The Pre-Raphaelites including Lord Byron translated the Frenchman’s works, embraced his aesthetic philosophies and circulated the tall tales and legends surrounding him. Composers like Debussy based some of their musical works on Francois’ captivating verse.
Often called the poet of rebels, outlaws and the oppressed, Villon’s moving depiction of the suffering endured by the underclasses at the hands of uncaring royalty and corrupt religious leaders has been called “keening for the living.” Francois’ legacy as the poet who led French literature out of the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance Era is undeniable, so this item will instead emphasize his swashbuckling legend. Continue reading
A TALE OF THE X-RAY (1898) – Written by Clara H. Holmes. This short story was first published in her collection titled Floating Fancies Among the Weird and the Occult, but it’s more science fiction.
DAY ONE: GAME ONE – The top seeds – the NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (Shipbuilders) – faced the 8th seeded UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FORT KENT BENGALS. 
DAY ONE: GAME TWO – In this game the 3rd seeded LYON COLLEGE SCOTS took on the 6 seeds – the BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE AT SYRACUSE BOBCATS. 
Due to the lengthy power outage in this area preventing me from posting for a time, below are several items pointing out what a trainwreck and collection of lies that Joe Biden’s SOTU address was: 
ALIEN: NO MAN’S LAND (2024) is a top tier Fan Film that goes far beyond the majority of such efforts. This item runs less than 29 minutes and deals with an encounter between the Alien franchise’s xenomorphs and World War One Brits and Aussies set in No Man’s Land. 
SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #1 (August 1968) 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The WELCH COLLEGE FLAMES did battle with the BOYCE COLLEGE BULLDOGS. 
A JOURNEY TO THE WORLD UNDERGROUND BY NICHOLAS KLIMIUS (1741) – This novel was written by Danish author Ludvig Holberg and became a European sensation. Like Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Holberg’s work in this book had satirical political meaning and though the issues and social criticism no longer apply to the modern-day world, the fundamental story structure still holds up on its own. 
The rope breaks, and Nicholas falls so far that his colleagues assume he was killed. Actually, Klimius fell down into the often-theorized Hollow Earth. In this case with an interior sun and small worlds in orbit around it. 
