With Dune 2 out there now, here are TWO items as a salute of sorts to the Frank Herbert classic. The first book in the series was serialized beginning in 1963, then released as a novel in 1965.
DUNE: THE OPERA – Previously I wrote about how Philip Wylie’s science fiction novel Gladiator could be done as an opera. Then I looked at how an opera version of the 1966 Spaghetti Western Django could be done and then an opera based on the novel Venus in Furs. If you’re not familiar with the story told in Dune it is set over 20,000 years in the future, when humanity has colonized many Earth-like planets.
LANGUAGE: Spanish. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that most of my fellow English-speakers find English-language operas to be silly. The prosaic nature of the forced rhymes in a language we are well-versed in does seem to rob opera of its mystique and its grandeur.
SINGERS: Two Baritones, two Bass-Baritones, two Sopranos, one Mezzo-Soprano, four Tenors, a contralto and a Bass.
ACTS: FOUR ACTS
STORY: My fellow Dune geeks may get annoyed with this change, but remember, adaptations for staged performances have to be made very tight. I would start out at the Arrakeen Great Hall as the family and court members of House Atreides have just arrived on Arrakis/ Dune, the desert planet. All the scenes that the book covered while the Atreides family were preparing to depart their home on Caladan would instead play out shortly after their arrival on their new planetary fiefdom. Continue reading
From Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy, here’s the latest on current events from 
GEORGE ADAMSKI (April 17th, 1891 – February 26th, 1965) occupied a special place in the history of cults. In 1936 he claimed to represent the Royal Order of Tibet and preached “its teachings” in California (where else). 
The readjustments started after George Adamski published Pioneers of Space in 1949, a general look at the infant Flying Saucer phenomenon, and in 1952 he claimed to be in telepathic contact with a being from Venus. Claims of additional contacts followed, including hieroglyphic writings from the Venusian.
Every Presidents Day, Democrat media outlets release their hilariously biased lists ranking the presidents – lists compiled by Democrats who call themselves “historians.” (LMAO) Remember, the past decades have seen Democrats drive most non-Democrats from the “educational” profession. 
I’m presenting my own ranking of the presidents in this blog post, but obviously people are free to disregard it as readily as they disregard all other such lists. These lists are fun conversationally, but none of them – including mine – have any relevance in the real world.
JOHN F KENNEDY 
“A large part of this success is due to President Trump’s willingness to listen to the ideas of Senator Tim Scott and the concerns of invested citizens from diverse communities in economic distress. This effort produced a groundbreaking solution called ‘Opportunity Zones,’ a way to create jobs and spur investment in disadvantaged communities. We all recognize that gainful employment and economic development is the best deterrent against violence and social unrest, so I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to ensuring the success of the Black community in every way.”
Here’s the latest on current events from 
Here’s the latest from 
Meanwhile, the Republicans are quite rightly pointing out that if Joe’s condition is 
Will the Republicans in office stick by this, or will they do what they always do and back down after pretending that they will actually do something? I don’t know. Plus, if Joe steps down, whoever the Democrats have replace him, whether it’s Michelle Obama or someone else, that may well mean the Democrats will win the presidential election in November. 
Balladeer's Blog 