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.
So, before we all find ourselves on Queer Street just because some Dick wants to arrest us for seeming as queer as a clockwork orange, here’s a snatch of J.F.’s work from The Queer Side of Things column.
OLD PROFESSOR WILLETT (December 1892) – Professor Willett announces to his family that his latest invention is going to make all of them rich but refuses to elaborate. Willett disappears after a few days without revealing any more details.
Foul play is suspected and the story’s narrator investigates. It turns out the Professor had devised a highly advanced explosive made from natural fibers. The explosive goes off with no sound and is so rapid its victims seem to simply vanish.
Willett was the first to go during an accident with his invention. Other family members have been perishing/ vanishing, too and the narrator is desperate to save his fiancée – one of the Professor’s daughters – from meeting the same fate.
SPOILER: He is too late and in despair lets himself die from the super-explosive, too.
THE DWINDLING HOUR (January 1893) – Pre-Einsteinian look at Relativity. A relic in the form of a water clock made from rare stone around 5000 B.C. gets passed down from civilization to civilization. Odd changes in the size of the water hole in the bowl of the water clock seem harmless at first but eventually are understood to be ominous. Continue reading
ONE SEEDS – Super Region 1 – INDIANA UNIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA CRIMSON HAWKS ### Super Region 2 – UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA TIGERS ### Super Region 3 – FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS ### Super Region 4 – CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY WILDCATS 
(3) ASSUMPTION COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS 
(6) CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA VULCANS 
Here at Balladeer’s Blog I’ve written plenty about how disgusted I became with the way that American Liberalism (really “illiberalism”) has devolved into a faith-based belief system as irrational as any other religion. So for a change of pace I’m once again linking to an article by another disillusioned figure expressing such sentiments. 
“I see liberal think pieces written in opposition to expressing empathy or civility in interactions with those with whom we disagree. I see Trump voters written off as “nazis” who are okay to target with physical violence. I see concepts like equality and justice being used as a mask for resentful, murderous rage.
(1) UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS 
(16) BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS 
(2) REINHARDT UNIVERSITY EAGLES 
(15) CONCORDIA (MI) CARDINALS 
THE MANIPULATORS (1970) – The words “gritty” and “streetwise” seem never to be used when describing vintage television programs from Canada but they certainly apply to The Manipulators (Originally the title was to be The Clients). 
It’s been a while since Balladeer’s Blog has done some Mock Headlines but with Halloween and Veterans Day behind us here we go. 
DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN OFFICE-HOLDERS CONTINUE TO FIGHT DE FACTO THIRD PARTY PRESIDENT TRUMP 
PAUL KRUGMAN STILL OUTRAGED THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS HAD MUCH BETTER-LOOKING WOMEN THAN HE EVER DID
NUMBER SIX GOES DOWN – With the playoffs beginning next weekend this final Saturday of the Regular Season saw the WILLIAM PENN UNIVERSITY STATESMEN welcome the nation’s 6th ranked GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS. The Statesmen marked Senior Day in style, knocking off the storied Vikings by an authoritative score of 33-14. 
EASY AS ONE, TWO, THREE – The top 3 teams in the nation over in D2 prevailed. The (1) INDIANA UNIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA CRIMSON HAWKS logged a 24-7 road smackdown of the WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY GOLDEN RAMS ### Meanwhile the (2) MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS survived a 27-24 visit with the (11) UNIVERSITY OF SIOUX FALLS COUGARS ### And the (3) ASHLAND EAGLES defeated the SAGINAW VALLEY CARDINALS 31-19. 
USCAA GAME OF THE WEEK – In the United States Collegiate Athletic Association the NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (formerly the Shipbuilders) were on the road against the HUDSON VALLEY COLLEGE VIKINGS. A 7-7 Halftime tie became a 21-21 deadlock to end Regulation. In Overtime the Builders won it 28-27 off a missed PAT by the Vikings. 
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky did real-life work crucial to space-flight and is one of the neglected pioneers of Science Fiction. Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at a few of his works. 
These flying plant-people from the Asteroid Belt obtain nourishment through chlorophyll and solar radiation. They also have advanced technology like the harnessing of dismantled asteroids into rings, resulting in lower gravity for manufacturing work. 
OUT OF THE EARTH (1920) – Coincidentally set in the year 2017 A.D. this tale features what readers are told is the first manned flight to the moon, some 48 years AFTER it happened in real life. An international team of tycoons and scientific adventurers are planning to explore the universe, with the moon an obvious first step. 
