ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: IN THE DEEP OF TIME (1897)

in the deep of timeIN THE DEEP OF TIME (1897) – This story was written by George Parsons Lathrop, who also wrote the libretto for Walter Damrosch’s opera version of The Scarlet Letter. Though Lathrop credited an interview with Thomas Edison for the scientific concepts in this tale, it is NOT an Edisonade. In the Deep of Time is instead one of the many 19th Century stories about “present day” characters waking up in the far future.   

In 1897, the Society of Futurity is experimenting with putting human beings into suspended animation. Our main character is Gerald Bemis, a young man who just lost his True Love and, feeling he has nothing left to live for, volunteers to be one of the Society’s human guinea pigs.

suspended animationThe multi-step procedure begins with Gerald being administered a drug that prepares his body for suspended animation, followed by another drug (mortimicrobium) that renders his body germ-free at all levels. Next, Bemis is placed in a glass cylinder at body temperature to “sleep” away the centuries.

In the 2190s A.D. the future administrators of the Society of Futurity remove Gerald from his glass cylinder and revive him. His body has survived suspended animation and he is introduced to 22nd Century life. Continue reading

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HAS TO BE SAID: AUGUST 27th

I have a lot of new readers, so this blog post will be clarifying some of my long-held opinions for newcomers who aren’t yet used to the fact that I’m an Independent Voter and therefore neither a Democrat nor a Republican.

democrats oppressing people while*** FIRST, A COMMENT REGARDING THE WAY DEMOCRAT CONVENTIONS AND DEMOCRAT CONFERENCES OF ALL KINDS SO OFTEN START BY STATING THEIR EVENT IS BEING HELD ON “STOLEN” LAND. Hey, that also means that all of the Democrats’ mansions and multiple homes are ALSO on “stolen” land. I call for Democrats to take the initiative and give up all of those extra homes to set an example for the rest of us. As a minimum, before ANY MORE finger-wagging lectures from privileged one-percenter entertainers or athletes I want an admission from them that their many properties stand on stolen land.

           And since Democrats hate national borders and call them artificial, arbitrary lines, let’s call for treating their property lines as artificial, arbitrary lines and settle many of their beloved illegal immigrants on their properties. 

buster and charlie*** NEXT, A RELEVANT ANECDOTE REGARDING AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND BUSTER KEATON, BOTH OF WHOM I’M A FAN OF. Chaplin was proclaiming “What I want is that every child should have enough to eat, shoes on his feet and a roof over his head.” Keaton’s reply was “But Charlie, do you know anyone who doesn’t want that?”

           That possibly apocryphal exchange embodies the current state of political discourse, with Chaplin’s virtue signaling statement perfectly reflecting the perpetual children who call themselves Democrats. Keaton’s reply perfectly reflects all of us NON-Democrats, who grew up at some point and accepted the fact that people who disagree with us are not automatically immoral and selfish.

           Democrats in 2024 really seem to have deluded themselves into thinking that if adults disagree with them regarding how to approach the world’s problems it means those adults DON’T want good things for children or anyone else. They’re such tiresome drama queens.  

freedom of expression is a human right*** I USED TO BE A DEMOCRAT YEARS AGO. That was when the Democrats believed in freedom of expression and other long-held Civil Liberty principles that they have completely abandoned after becoming the Political Correctness Police in the 1990s and evolving into the intolerant Woke Fascists that they are today.

           I frequently mention that I used to be a Democrat because here in the U.S. it has come to be a quick way to clarify your stands. There are now so many of us former Democrats who went Independent that it lets people know a lot about you in the least amount of words. At least here in the U.S. it does. Overseas readers have expressed confusion about why I mention it so much, so this is to clarify things for those readers.  Continue reading

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SAMSON IN SILENT FILMS

Previously Balladeer’s Blog looked at variations of the Samson saga, including Islamic versions and other non-Biblical accounts. This time around I’ll examine silent movies about the long-haired strongman. 

samson and delilah doreSAMSON AND DELILAH (1902) – This 6-minute short was directed by Ferdinand Zecca, Walter Pathe’s right-hand man. This film has survived and is an interesting historical piece. It’s the earliest surviving silent movie about Samson, the iconic Zecca’s first Samson film, plus Samson and Delilah is one of the silent era shorts that were tinted by hand – frame by frame. 

Unfortunately, the production also suffers some of the worst shortcomings from that time period when silent flicks were still groping their way forward. We get painted backdrops, an unmoving camera, very limited credits, hilariously cheap props and insane levels of overacting.

samson and delilahThis 1902 effort opens with Samson’s “labor” of tearing off the gate of Gaza, then just dumping it rather than carrying it away. We get other standard bits from the tale of this Biblical Judge including, of course, the seductive Philistine woman Delilah learning that the secret of Samson’s strength lies in his uncut hair. 

She cuts his hair to rob him of his strength, then turns him over for captivity and enslavement turning a corn mill. Zecca skips having Samson blinded in this version, and in lieu of the traditional taunting by his captors in the temple of Dagon, our hero is titillated by dancing girls just out of reach.

With his strength returning, Samson tears down the structure, crushing himself and the dancing girls. His spirit is then escorted up to Heaven by angels. Zecca would revisit this subject matter in 1908. Continue reading

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WNBA RESULTS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG

FOURTH QUARTER FURY – The DALLAS WINGS (7-22) welcomed the LOS ANGELES SPARKS (6-24).

Los Angeles led 26-13 to end the opening Quarter, with the Wings pulling to within 55-45 by Halftime. In the 3rd Quarter the Sparks went up 92-73, but Dallas exploded for 40 points in the 4th to win the game by a Century Club score of 113-110. Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with THIRTY-THREE points, while her teammate Teaira McCowan logged a Double Double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

INSTANT CLASSIC – The LAS VEGAS ACES (18-11) took it on the road against the CHICAGO SKY (11-18) in this game.

Chicago led the Aces 17-12 in the 1st Quarter, only to see Las Vegas go up 32-30 at the Half. The 3rd Quarter ended with the score tied up at 52-52, but the Aces managed to win out 77-75 in the 4th. The victors were led by A’ja Wilson with her Double Double of 20 points and 18 rebounds. Continue reading

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SEPTEMBER 2022: A LOOK BACK

FOR PART ONE (2016) OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE FROM INDEPENDENT VOTER SITE BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE.

democrat rat symbolDEMOCRAT POLITICIAN IN PENNSYLVANIA SENTENCED TO THIRTY MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ELECTION FRAUD. There have been countless stories like this over the past several years but the Democrats’ media outlets still love to pretend that vote fraud doesn’t happen.

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL ATTACKS THAT DEMOCRATS MADE AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. Donald Trump, a de facto Third Party President, was the best president for the working class and the poor of all colors during my lifetime. 

when democrats sayWISCONSIN, ONE OF THE STATES AFFECTED BY THE 2020 ELECTION CORRUPTION, TAKES ANOTHER STEP FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY.

ARE TRUMP-HATERS INSANE OR ONLY PRETENDING TO BE? And since 2022 they’ve gotten worse and worse and more unstable by the week.

sasha stoneAND ANOTHER FORMER DEMOCRAT JOINS THE REST OF US IN OUR DISGUST WITH THE PARTY.

POLL: SIXTY-EIGHT PERCENT SAY THE COUNTRY WAS SAFER WITH DE FACTO THIRD PARTY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IN OFFICE.

DEMOCRATS IN NEW YORK CALLED OUT FOR PREFILLED ABSENTEE BALLOTS. The latest Democrat innovation to their favorite activity – vote fraud. Continue reading

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM AUGUST 24th

NAIA

SUNSHINE STATE SHUTOUT – The WEBBER INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY WARRIORS hosted the UNIVERSITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE EAGLES (should be Flamingos). The Warriors achieved defensive perfection against UFL while leading them 7-0, 21-0 and 37-0 in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Quarters respectively. The 4th ended in a 40-0 shutout victory for Webber International University. Continue reading

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CAPTAIN BRITAIN IN THE OTHERWORLD

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at the adventure in which Marvel’s Captain Britain explored the Otherworld, the mystic realm from which he gained his powers and weapons.

cb 28CAPTAIN BRITAIN Vol 1 #28 (April 20th, 1977)

Title: Night of the Hawk

Villain: Lord Hawk

NOTE: This was still when Captain Britain was published only in the United Kingdom.

Synopsis: Captain Britain nabs a pair of muggers and leaves them for the police. Next, he turns back into Brian Braddock and attends his classes as a grad student at Thames University, where he interacts with his friends and his girlfriend Courtney Ross.

lord hawkA very eccentric old professor, Robert Willard Scott, has retired from the university and lives alone with his hawks. When those birds die, Brian Braddock uses his scientific genius to construct a large hawk-shaped remote-controlled android to keep Professor Scott company.

The older gentleman is actually insane, and upgrades the robo-hawk with high-tech weaponry and begins attacking British factories, even killing some of the employees in the attacks. Captain Britain faces the self-styled Lord Hawk and the weapons of his robo-hawk.  

Comment: This silly villain is like something from the Adam West Batman show. Continue reading

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CHAPARRALS OVER PANTHERS AS THE 2024 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON IS UNDERWAY

THE COLLEGE OF DUPAGE CHAPARRALS VS THE ELLSWORTH COLLEGE PANTHERS – This NJCAA matchup last night kicked off the 2024 college football season in the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog. On Saturday the NAIA joins the action as additional NJCAA games also kick off. 

In this particular gridiron clash the Chaparrals hosted Ellsworth College. The 1st Quarter ended with the College of DuPage on top of the shell-shocked Panthers 21-0. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: AUGUST 23rd

DEMOCRATS SADDENED OVER THE FAILURE OF ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE POPULIST HERO DONALD TRUMP. Meanwhile, here’s another current events roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog

***** NEW! FELLOW BLOGGER HAS BREAKING NEWS ON HAMAS SUPPORTERS’ LATEST CLASH WITH POLICE AND IMPORTANT REMINDERS ABOUT PALESTINIAN HISTORY IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

andy beshearDEMOCRAT ANDY BESHEAR CALLING FOR THE RAPE OF FEMALE MEMBERS OF J.D. VANCE’S FAMILY. Democrats frequently take time out from telling each other how wonderful they consider themselves to be to show the public their true nature.  

GROOMER AT THE DNC. Democrats, can you please leave children alone? 

cackling kamalaKAMALA VOWS TO RAISE TAXES AND UNDO TRUMP’S TAX CUTS. And as a non-millionaire myself, I will point out once again that it is a lie to claim that Trump’s tax cuts only benefitted the wealthy. Unlike the repulsive George W. Bush’s tax cuts, Trump’s tax cuts also helped the working class.

REAL UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES EXPOSED. The Harris-Biden Regime caught in more deception. THIRTY PERCENT LEEWAY allowed for errors. Can you imagine if Trump tried pulling that? Democrats are such hypocrites. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT GETS FEDERAL FUNDS TO SCAVENGE BLACK WOMAN’S SMALL BUSINESS DREAM. “Black Business woman has a message for Kamala Harris. She sobs after having to sell her food truck which was bought by an illegal immigrant who got free money from the Harris/Biden Administration.” The Democrats still feel “Illegal immigrants uber alles.” 

babylon beeTHE BEE HILARIOUSLY SATIRIZES THE DEMOCRATS FOR CLAIMING THAT PHOTO I.D. FOR VOTING IS “VOTER SUPPRESSION” AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE, YET IF THEY WANTED TO GET INTO THE DEMOCRAT CONVENTION THOSE SAME BLACK PEOPLE NEEDED PHOTO I.D. So Democrats. Were you “suppressing” black attendance at your convention? 

ANOTHER FORMER DEMOCRAT ON WHY HE IS VOTING FOR TRUMP. Powerful video. Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S PRESEASON COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

Recently I provided my preseason rankings for the NAIA and the NJCAA HERE. Today I’m posting Balladeer’s Blog’s Top Twelve in some of the other divisions I cover.

NCAA DIVISION TWO

1. HARDING UNIVERSITY BISON (Defending Champions)    ###    2. PITTSBURG (KS) STATE GORILLAS    ###    3. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES    ###   4. FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS    ###   

5. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS    ###    6. VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS    ###    7. GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS    ###    8. KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY GOLDEN BEARS    ###     Continue reading

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