THE INHABITANTS OF MARS: THEIR MANNERS AND ADVANCEMENT IN CIVILIZATION AND THEIR OPINION OF US (1895) – I shortened the title for this blog post heading. This novel was written by Willis Mitchell, who called himself a professor but never elaborated.
Willis served as the narrator, who interviewed a man given the pseudonym Mr. Ego. That man says he has traveled psychically or in astral form to Mars and can provide a detailed account of Mars, which even had its own version of Jesus.
NOTE: Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that as odd as that sounds, it is NOT the only example of 1800s science fiction that includes a Martian Jesus.
Mr. Ego describes Mars as having similar topography to Earth but with a reddish tint. There are no canals, he informs Mitchell. When the Martians need water, they aim electronic vibrating devices into the sky, thus causing rain to fall. Continue reading
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in D2 were the GANNON UNIVERSITY GOLDEN KNIGHTS and the LANDER UNIVERSITY BEARCATS. No real suspense in this title game, unfortunately, as the Golden Knights dominated Lander U. on both sides of the ball all the way. Come Halftime, Gannon had compiled a 37-21 advantage and from there they coasted to an 84-61 victory. Leading the Golden Knights was Pace Prosser with a Double Double of 28 points and 11 rebounds. 

THE GIRL WITH SOMETHING EXTRA (1973-1974) – This half-hour sitcom continued the concept of having Sally Field in possession of paranormal abilities. The Flying Nun saw her capable of flight and The Girl with Something Extra featured her comedic escapades as a young woman who was able to read people’s minds.
SALLY ON MY MIND – Attorney John Burton contemplates asking out Sally, a woman he’s just met. He is surprised when, out of nowhere, she tells him she is available the next night. Their whirlwind courtship ends in marriage and on their wedding night, Sally finally tells John about her ESP abilities. Feeling uncomfortable, John walks out on her but realizes he loves Sally enough to just deal with the fact that she can read his mind.
With the Titaness Rhea placated by the funerary rites, libations and games that the Argonauts dedicated to her slain son Kyzikos, our heroes resumed their Quest for the Golden Fleece.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Fighting for the title were the NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (Shipbuilders) and the URBE UNIVERSITY TIGERS. The Builders made a statement with their 39-29 Halftime advantage over URBE University. From there, they pretty much maintained distance from the Tigers for a 69-60 triumph led by Donovan Means with 17 points.
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The LANDER UNIVERSITY BEARCATS pulled off a major Upset against the defending national champs – the NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SHARKS. At the Half the Bearcats had NSU on Upset Alert with their 42-31 lead. After the break, Lander U. kept the Sharks at arm’s length enroute to a 91-81 victory. Twenty-five points from Greyson Pritzl led the Bearcats, while teammate Dylan Canoville got a Double Double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. 


APRIL 18th, 2019 –
THE GOSPEL OF PETER – This Gospel was in wide use in the Middle East until at least the 2nd Century A.D. Its contents would still be completely unknown if not for a fragment of the Gospel being discovered in the tomb of a Christian monk in Egypt late in the 1800s.
THE INFANCY GOSPEL OF THOMAS – I like to refer to this enjoyable book as “The Young Jesus Christ Chronicles”. This banned gospel deals with the infancy and childhood years of Jesus in much greater detail than any of the other gospels, official or otherwise.