GREAT BAY COLLEGE HERONS
Location: Portsmouth, NH
Division: USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association)
Conference Affiliation: Yankee Small College Conference
Comment: Herons are similar to storks and ibises and dwell on every continent except Continue reading
Filed under Cool names and cool logos
Two presidents who exploited national tragedies to justify eroding fundamental freedoms.
Welcome back to Balladeer’s Blog, the only site on the web that genuinely criticizes both Liberals and Conservatives equally. As always I’m coming to you from an America whose government was hijacked long ago by those rival gangs of white collar criminals called the Democratic and Republican Parties. Neither of those organizations are mentioned in the Constitution but you can’t realistically run for dogcatcher in this country without having to deal with the party apparatus of one of those groups because of the stranglehold they have on our electoral system.
Both Liberals and Conservatives love to exploit public hysteria to enact policies that are grotesque violations of our constitutional rights and that they could never get away with without the panic that results in people embracing the loss of liberty.
The Conservatives did this after Muslim terrorists committed the 9-11 attacks. In the hysteria that followed those flukish events the public practically DEMANDED that the Bush administration strip away some of our fundamental freedoms and usher in many policies of a police state. Conspiracy kooks drastically overstated the harm done which unfortunately helped make all legitimate dissent seem lacking in credibility.
Similar hysteria has Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES
CORPSE EATERS (1974) – No, not The Brain Eaters and not The Worm Eaters, both of which are real movies, but Corpse Eaters without any “the” in front. This 57 minute wonder actually manages to overstay its welcome, believe it or not, which is just as well because the similar low-budget film Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things did everything better than this film does.
The people behind Corpse Eaters know JUST what horror fans want to see … water-skiing and plenty of it! This baby takes the concept of padding to the next level with interminable footage of two couples having a great time boating and otherwise whooping it up at lakeside. I’m not old enough to have ever sat through a suburban family’s hellishly boring home-movies but thanks to this film I can experience it as if I was alive back then! Sweeeeet!
The aforementioned lakeside footage comes after the audience is treated to several loooong minutes of a mortician and his assistant talking about what a creepy job they have. Then it’s on to our “stars” if that isn’t too strong a word for them. The frolicing couples note that it’s Friday the 13th and decide to spend the night in a graveyard just for the heck of it. While they’re doing so rain forces the quartet to Continue reading
Filed under Bad and weird movies
USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) Division One – 1. AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY GYRENES ### 2. ROCHESTER COLLEGE WARRIORS ### 3. LU- BELLEVILLE LYNX ### 4. SOUTHERN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS ### 5. DAEMEN WILDCATS ### 6. NEWPORT NEWS BUILDERS ### 7. WEST VIRGINIA TECH GOLDEN BEARS ### 8. SJC-BROOKLYN BEARS ### 9. UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS CRUSADERS ### 10. SOUTHERN STATE PATRIOTS ### 11. VIRGINIA- LYNCHBURG DRAGONS ### 12. WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY SHOCK Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
To paraphrase master satirist Stan Freberg’s ad line for Hogan’s Heroes let me just say “If you liked World War Two you’ll LOVE Heil Honey, I’m Home! The premise of this study in cosmic-level bad taste makes it sound like a comedy sketch lampooning the staggering callousness of television executives. Or maybe like a Springtime For Hitler– style moment from a satire on television’s desperation for getting ratings through calculated outrageousness.
Unfortunately this program was an honest-to-God attempt at launching a sitcom in the U.K. in 1990. Eight episodes were filmed but after the pilot aired for this failed attempt at dark comedy the ensuing outcry ensured the show’s immediate cancellation.
This one-shot wonder was a self-styled “Hitcom”, the producer’s technical term for “Hitler comedy” as opposed to “Sitcom” for Situation Comedy. Are you laughing yet? Heil Honey, I’m Home! depicted Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun as a typical apartment-dwelling couple in 1938 Berlin putting up with the standard sitcom trope of annoying neighbors … in the form of Jewish couple Arny and Rosa Goldenstein. Are you Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television
NUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – The NAIA’s top-ranked UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS PATRIOTS were upset on the road by the UVA-WISE HIGHLAND CAVALIERS (logo at left). The Highland Cavs won by a respectable score of 69-54 so this was no last-minute fluke with a half-court three or any other freak event.
OTHER TOP 25 UPSETS – A day after trouncing Montana Tech the ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE BATTLIN’ BEARS held serve as well and brought down the number 3 LEWIS-CLARK STATE WARRIORS in an 89-80 affair that was LCSC’s 1st loss of the season ### The (18) WESTMINSTER (UT) GRIFFINS dismembered the 10th ranked MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN LIGHTS by a rollicking 82-50 ### The HOPE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY ROYALS entered the Century Club on the same day they upset the 15th ranked CONCORDIA (CA) EAGLES in a 101-91 game that left the Royals fans feeling regal satisfaction ### At 19 the ROGERS STATE UNIVERSITY HILLCATS lost an 81-80 heartbreaker at the (25) JOHN BROWN GOLDEN EAGLES ### … And the (22) OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY STARS joined the other ranked teams losing on the road, falling to the WAYLAND BAPTIST PIONEERS in a tight 70-68 matchup.
TOP 25 UPSETS – NAIA DIVISION 2 – The (17) ST THOMAS (FL) BOBCATS took it on the road and brought down the number 2 EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY EAGLES in an 81-78 Instant Classic ### The 3rd ranked NORTHWOOD (FL) SEAHAWKS, who recently added ice hockey to their athletics department, fell in Overtime on the road to the WEBBER INTERNATIONAL WARRIORS by a score of 93-88 ### The number 12 GRACE LANCERS were upset by the ST FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS in a thrilling 74-69 affair ### The 14th ranked SOUTHERN OREGON RAIDERS lost at home to the (22) NORTHWEST (WA) EAGLES by a score of 82-73 ### … And at number 19 the AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY GYRENES suffered a Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball, college hockey
As a followup to my earlier list of The Top 12 Deities in Choctaw Mythology here’s a look at two additional figures from that same pantheon.
IMMA – The Choctaw goddess of war. Unlike most war deities Imma did not participate in actual combat herself, but was the idealized woman to whom Choctaw warriors dedicated all their battlefield heroics. She was the most beautiful goddess in the Choctaw pantheon and, like her husband, the hunting god Hatakachafa, Imma was originally a mortal raised to godhood in the afterlife by the supreme deity Nanishta. He did this after Imma died from grief after Hatakachafa was given up for dead during his year-long struggle to return home to her. When Imma’s true love at last returned home astride his giant white wolf and learned she was dead he too died of grief. The two were reunited in the afterlife as husband and wife.
OKLATABAHSHIH – The patron god of Continue reading
Filed under Mythology
NJCAA Division 1 – 1. HUTCHINSON BLUE DRAGONS (logo at left) ### 2. CHIPOLA COLLEGE INDIANS ### 3. PALM BEACH STATE PANTHERS ### 4. VINCENNES UNIVERSITY TRAILBLAZERS ### 5. IOWA WESTERN REIVERS ### 6. COFFEYVILLE RED RAVENS
NJCAA Division 2 – 1. MONROE TRIBUNES ### 2. LOUISBURG COLLEGE HURRICANES ### 3. REND LAKE COLLEGE Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
Leslie Rice laying down the cinematic law on his web show Terror Obscura
Anne Rice, Jerry Rice, Condoleeza Rice … and now Leslie Rice joins those cultural titans as the most celebrated Rice since Uncle Ben’s.
Leslie Rice aka Fear Fan, is the creator, writer, director and star of the web series Terror Obscura in which he offers his wry and incisive look at various horror films from the obscure (duh) to the mainstream and from enjoyably bad Golden Turkeys to genuine classics. In my opinion out of the countless web shows that offer film criticism Terror Obscura is the most consistently watchable and Rice’s commentary provides genuine analysis, not just a synopsis of the movie being reviewed.
Balladeer’s Blog’s recommendations would include Leslie’s detailed analysis of the Nightmare on Elm Street series plus his hilarious takes on stinkers like Funhouse and Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla. There are plenty of others to choose from including his new feature, Fright Bytes, in which Leslie offers much briefer takes on all things horror.
Growing up in St Louis, MO Mr Rice began flirting with horror films by viewing the movies his parents would let him rent from the video store at the end of the street. His youthful favorites included Godzilla, Rodan, the Universal horror films plus Old School science fiction like Forbidden Planet.
When he turned 16 Leslie took his earlier dabbling in horror films to the next level. Enjoying the new freedom offered by a driver’s license and the income from his first job, Fear Fan dove into the harder stuff like Nightmare on Elm Street, Predator, Candyman and Aliens.
The college years came along and Rice, still based in St Louis, put his enthusiasm to practical use by reviewing movies for the college newspaper and then for his internship. His move into online video reviews will be covered in the body of the interview.
Leslie’s early career as a riverboat pilot along the Mississippi has been extensively documented and I think we’re all very familiar with his heroics after the sinking of PT 109 (damn show-off) so I began the interview on a more personal note:
Balladeer’s Blog: How long have you been dating Lindsay Lohan?
Leslie Rice: Only since she’s hit rock bottom. We met when she drove her car through my living room, and we’ve been a thing ever since.
BB: What was “the senses-shattering origin” of your Terror Obscura webcasts?
LR: I’d just discovered a Continue reading
Filed under Movie Hosts, Q&A
With the flood of unimaginative new television programs, especially on various cable channels, I’m often surprised that some of the most entertaining shows in history don’t have their very own following of people who know waaaaay too much about them. As always here at Balladeer’s Blog I like to shine the spotlight on everything that is unjustly overlooked. Feel free to start holding conventions devoted to, and launching flame wars about, these six criminally neglected television programs.
Captain Z-Ro and Jet
6. CAPTAIN Z-RO – (1951-1960) Over a full decade before Great Britain’s ultimate cult show, Doctor Who, hit the airwaves this American show featured the titular Captain traveling in time and space with various sidekicks, including Jet, the young man pictured with Captain Z-Ro in the photo to the left.
In addition to adventures that saw the Captain dealing with a robot run amok in San Francisco and with a potentially fatal meteor collision, his “experiments in time and space” (the show’s oft-repeated tag line) found him helping out some of the exact same historical figures that Great Britain’s Time Lord from Gallifrey would go on to encounter, like Marco Polo, William the Conqueror and the Aztecs. As an added bonus Captain Z-Ro solved the mystery of the Great Pyramid itself!
This series is good, campy fun and a fringe benefit would be the laughs viewers can get from outdated social attitudes and special effects. The show’s pricelessly campy opening alone is worth the effort to track episodes down.
5. MASTERMIND (also known as Q.E.D.) (1981) – A young, bearded Sam Waterston starred in this incredibly charming series set in 1912 England. Waterston portrayed the title genius, American Ivy League scholar Dr Quentin E Deveril, whose initials were, of course, a cutesy play on the Latin expression “quod erat demonstrandum” (“what was to be demonstrated”), the famous Q.E.D. from academic exercises.
Deveril’s adventures could be best described as a cross between Indiana Jones and Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television
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