Monthly Archives: March 2018

March 31, 2018 · 11:55 pm

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS FOR 2018

Balladeer’s Blog offers one last round of congratulations to the 2018 women’s college basketball champions in the divisions covered here.

Freed Hardeman Lions logoNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) DIVISION ONE

National Champions – FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY LIONS

Runners-Up – Westmont College Warriors

2017 Champions – Oklahoma City University Stars 

Dakota Wesleyan logoNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) DIVISION TWO

National Champions – DAKOTA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY TIGERS

Runners-Up – Concordia (NE) University Bulldogs

2017 Champions – Marian University Knights 

Mid-America_Christian_2007_150NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) DIVISION ONE

National Champions – MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY EVANGELS

Runners-Up – Concordia (MI) University Cardinals

2017 Champions – Greenville University Panthers  Continue reading →

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March 31, 2018 · 9:00 am

PANTHER’S RAGE TWELVE: OF SHADOWS AND RAGES

Of Shadows and RagesFOR PART ONE CLICK HERE   

JUNGLE ACTION Volume 2, Number 17 (September 1975)

XII. OF SHADOWS AND RAGES

NOTE: This is the climactic chapter (Or T’Chapter if you prefer) of Panther’s Rage. The next, thirteenth part is the epilogue. The showdown between the Black Panther and Killmonger takes place this time around.

Synopsis: As this installment opens up, Erik Killmonger’s rebel army has begun its final, lightning campaign to overthrow T’Challa as the Chieftain of the Wakandas. Killmonger (N’Jadaka), his supervillain operatives Venomm and King Cadaver plus his comic relief lieutenants Tayette and Kazibe are all on hand.

Killmonger bigErik has committed all of his remaining troops to this assault, with many of his soldiers serving as Mounted Regiments riding into battle atop the dozens of dinosaurs that Killmonger and his men rounded up in prehistoric Serpent Valley recently.

Through training and electronic bits placed in the dinosaurs’ mouths these captive monstrosities are proving very effective at destroying and crushing all the beautiful monuments and government buildings of Wakanda City. The high-tech weapons and vibranium shields and spears wielded by Killmonger’s troops are taking a deadly toll as well.

The Black Panther’s own forces are trying to counter this brutal, devastating attack but are without their usual leader, W’Kabi the Security Chief. W’Kabi is still hospitalized after he was seriously wounded in Venomm’s escape from prison days earlier.

As a contingent of brontosauruses and their human passengers/ soldiers begin reducing the Royal Palace to rubble, our hero the Black Panther officially joins the fray, hurling himself from the crumbling rooftop to take out several of Killmonger’s mounted troops in his agile descent.

T’Challa’s Royal Consort, African-American singing star Monica Lynne, soon shows up at her man’s side, commenting on how she had no idea how terrifying these beasts would look in person. (And remember, this story came out long years before Jurassic Park and Dino-Riders.) For his part the Black Panther is horrified to see so many products of Wakandan culture and history being wiped out so swiftly and mercilessly by Killmonger and his army. Continue reading →

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March 30, 2018 · 10:42 pm

FRIDAY FOSTER: GOOD FRIDAY? SHE’S THE BEST FRIDAY

FOR BALLADEER’S BLOG’S REVIEWS OF THE OTHER TOP MOVIES OF PAM GRIER CLICK HERE  

Friday_FosterFRIDAY FOSTER (1975) – Pam portrays the title character, a comic strip heroine from the 1970’s who was often called “the black Brenda Starr.” Friday Foster worked as a photographer for a national weekly and the comic strip figure was regularly involved in much grittier adventures than Brenda Starr (or Mark Trail for that matter) ever had.

In this movie Friday uncovers a plot by White Supremacists to assassinate every prominent African American in the United States. Friday’s investigation into these dastardly goings-on leads her along a lengthy trail of victims, some of them played by very big-name stars. For instance:   Continue reading →

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March 29, 2018 · 10:59 pm

NON-DILLINGER: SHOTGUN ZIEGLER

FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE

Shotgun ZieglerSHOTGUN ZIEGLER

Real Name: Fred Goetz

Birth – Death: February 14th, 1897 – March 21st, 1934

Lore: Before his bank-robbing, bootlegging and kidnapping career, Shotgun Ziegler was supposedly one of the gunmen involved in the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929 Chicago.

Reality: This has been disputed by many sources since many more men have been hailed as Valentine’s Day Massacre gunmen than were actually involved in the event. My personal bet is that Ziegler’s day of birth being Valentine’s Day led to his claims being taken more seriously than assorted others, simply because that’s how legends and traditions seem to take their deceptive hold over the public’s imagination – through meaningless coincidences and poetic license.

At any rate, since I’m a World War One geek I find it more interesting that in 1918 this figure really, DEFINITELY did serve as a U.S. Army pilot during that conflict.

Criminal Career: From June to October of 1925, Goetz was accused of assaulting 7 year old Jean Lanbert and of involvement in an armed robbery of a physician. The former was never proven, as Goetz skipped bail and the latter cemented his fugitive status and change of name.

“Shotgun Ziegler” associated with professional criminals from this point on, especially the Chicago Outfit. Our “hero” and his wife Irene settled into married life and were described by their landlord as ideal tenants.

If legend is to be believed, Shotgun fled his former associates at some point after taking part in the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. Later that year Ziegler along with 5 others robbed Farmers & Merchants Bank in Jefferson, WI of $352,000 IN 1929 MONEY. (Obviously it would be worth a much higher amount now.) Continue reading →

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March 29, 2018 · 5:25 pm

POTENTIAL TITLES FOR PROGRAMS CENTERED AROUND A FASCIST TWERP

Democrats love to exploit tragedies

Democrats love to exploit young people and tragedies.

David Hogg, famous for standing on the dead bodies of the Parkland victims, has become beloved by the Democrats of the American media because of his willingness to act like he and he alone speaks for the dead.

As Democrats did with Cindy Sheehan, they’ve pretended this hate-spewing white child of privilege is not to be disputed. Which of course, makes it even MORE fun to point out what a fascist creep he comes across as. 

Here’s a look at the kind of television shows I could picture someone like this starring in (All shows are fictional): 

BOSS HOGG – (Public Affairs) A spoiled young fascist rants and raves about his childish worldview while claiming his parents “don’t know how to use Democracy.” 

David Hogg Political cartoonHOGG FUTURES – (Science Fiction) A young fascist presents a series of scenarios depicting the kind of Fascist dictatorship he wants to live in, and reveals what kind of fates he would have in store for political dissidents. Especially the ones who question if he was even in school on the day of the Parkland shootings.   

ATTENTION HOGG – (Bio-Drama) Through songs and interpretive dance, a tale is told about a teenage fascist pissing on the dead victims of a tragedy and then capitalizing on the attention his antics brought him. As of this writing David Hogg has not commented on whether of not he thinks this character is based on him.  

THE SERMON ON THE MOUND OF CORPSES – (Movie) Telefilm about how American demagogues cynically exploit the drama queen antics of a young fascist named Derek Pigg. A veritable nationwide Passion Play of sorts unfolds as the media indulges in non-stop hysteria while sanctifying shrill teens who say what the Democrats want them to say. This movie raises questions about who is more to blame: conscienceless adult trash in the media or youngsters who have learned that the quickest, easiest way to cheap attention is to imitate the attitudes of the conscienceless adult trash in the media.    Continue reading →

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March 28, 2018 · 10:40 pm

THUMP: HE’S NO EASTER BUNNY, BUT …

ThumpDe facto Third Party President Donald Trump aka “the new FDR” continues to outrage everyone who hates the working class and the poor. With Easter coming up, one’s thoughts turn to Easter Bunnies and from there to bunnies in general, so what better time to remind readers about the hit book Thump: The First Bundred Days.

Thump – like the real-world political hero he is based on – keeps on succeeding while the hate-filled forces arrayed against him get theirs – BIGLY! You might even say in YUGE ways!

If you’re sick of the endless, dishonest and snobbish media onslaught against President Trump, this book will bring a smile to your face. You can buy it HERE 

As I’ve said repeatedly, the media overkill against President Trump and his supporters and the people whose jobs have been saved by him has long since passed the point where even if I didn’t support him I would be pretending I did just to tick off the pieces of garbage who rant about the man 24/7.

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March 28, 2018 · 8:55 am

TRANSGRESS WITH ME: MARCH 28th

mascot new look donkey and elephant heads*** It’s another installment of Transgress With Me. Like so many people here in the U.S. I used to consider myself a Liberal until American Liberals became nothing but cowardly hypocrites, pompous snobs, hilariously pretentious asses and political robots who show mindless, unquestioning obedience to the Democrat Party.

I certainly don’t fit into the category of Conservatives either, so, since neither of the two most out-of-date and increasingly meaningless political labels don’t apply to me, feel free to consider me a Socialist or a Populist or an Anarchist if you absolutely have to have a quick descriptive term.

I still wish more people would abandon these kinds of labels anyway. The best conversations I’ve had in recent years – either real-life OR online – have been with other people who set aside the outdated “shirts vs skins” attitudes of the past and simply communicate as human being to human being.

*** Justifying their natural cowardice is a very large part of the life of a 21st Century American Liberal. Dressing that cowardice up as virtue is an equally large part. Pretending that their slavish conformity to the wishes of the Powers That Be is somehow “resistance” takes up the most time of all. 

*** The ridiculous notion that the CIA, NSA, FBI or other parts of “the Intelligence Community” (LMAO) are anything but thuggish political operatives of the bloated rich pig class is a notion that needs abandoned.

*** The most realistic big-screen depiction of CIA trash like John Brennan, George HW Bush and their ilk may well have been Matt Damon’s character in The Good Shepherd. Especially the part where that character says that he and his self-appointed/ self-anointed Blue Bloods possess “the United States of America … the rest of you are just visiting.”

(And yes, I know who Damon’s character was really a composite of, but the pomposity of the film’s character perfectly matches the blatant class snobbery of the modern-day Intelligence Services.) 

*** I like to use movie and television examples because for many people of the 21st Century American Left movies and television are more real than real-life.  Continue reading →

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March 28, 2018 · 12:33 am

THE NEW MONKEES (1987): FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

New MonkeesThe New Monkees are remembered as the most pointless re-launch of a band in history AND as one of the worst television shows in history. I’ve never listened to their one and only album so I can’t say if they make it a Hat Trick with one of the worst albums in history, too. 

The premise sounds like a comedy sketch from the glory days of SCTV but unfortunately this thoroughly bizarre attempt to recapture the flukish charm of the original Monkees was 100% real.

Here’s the debut episode of The New Monkees‘ 13 episode run in 1987. Everything you’ve heard is true: We get Rocky Horror Picture Show lips voiced by a black lady, a weird sci-fi mansion home for the title foursome, a built-in diner and their annoying butler, Manford.

The laugh track does NOT go off during the few things that seemed funny, like a couple of apparently ad-libbed jokes by the New Monkees during their screen test footage, but instead goes off during lame, obvious jokes that not even small children would laugh at. Continue reading →

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March 27, 2018 · 9:24 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS FOR 2018

Balladeer’s Blog offers one last round of congratulations to the 2018 college basketball champions in the divisions covered here.

Graceland U Yellow JacketsNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) DIVISION ONE

National Champions – GRACELAND UNIVERSITY YELLOW JACKETS

Runners-Up – LSU-Alexandria Generals

2017 Champions – Texas Wesleyan University Rams 

Indiana Wesleyan WildcatsNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) DIVISION TWO

National Champions – INDIANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS

Runners-Up – University of Saint Francis Cougars

2017 Champions – Union College Bulldogs

Emmanuel College Lions logoNCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) DIVISION ONE

National Champions – EMMANUEL COLLEGE LIONS

Runners-Up – Southwestern Christian University Eagles

2017 Champions – Colorado Christian University Cougars   Continue reading →

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March 26, 2018 · 11:11 pm

BLACK ROSES (1988): FILM REVIEW

Black Roses 1BLACK ROSES (1988) – This legendarily laughable attempt at a horror film belongs to quite a few niche sub-genres. It’s a Canadian horror movie, it’s one of the wonderfully campy Heavy Metal Horror productions of the 1980s and most importantly for trivia lovers Black Roses is one of the Big Three Canadian turkeys to feature Frank Dietz in a supporting role. (The other two are Rock’N’Roll Nightmare and Zombie Nightmare. ) 

Dietz looked too young to be a police detective in Zombie Nightmare and he looks too OLD to be a high school student in Black Roses. But that’s part of his – and the movie’s – charm. He also plays one of the Black Roses in monster form during the film.

You want more kitsch-casting? How about Julie Adams of Creature From The Black Lagoon playing an elderly frump outraged over Heavy Metal’s supposed “Satanic” element?

How about noted musician Carmine Appice as Vinny Apache, one of the demonic members of the band Black Roses?

How about Vincent Pastore from The Sopranos as a Heavy Metal-hating parent who pays for that by getting mauled by a $1.49 spider-puppet AND getting sucked into a speaker playing Black Roses songs?  Continue reading →

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