Monthly Archives: June 2019

FLASHMAN’S GUIANA: LOST FLASHMAN PAPERS

Flashman faceFor Flashman Down Under, Flashman in the Opium War & Flashman and the Kings click HERE   For Flashman on the Gold Coast click HERE  For Flashman of Arabia click HERE 

Balladeer’s Blog now moves on to another Harry Flashman adventure never completed before George MacDonald Fraser’s death.

Lee Horsley Flashman

IF HE WAS BRITISH, LEE HORSLEY WOULD HAVE MADE A PERFECT HARRY FLASHMAN.

Projected Title: FLASHMAN’S GUIANA

Time Period: 1876-1877

NOTE: The title Flashman’s Guiana is a play on “Booker’s Guiana,” as the colony of British Guiana (19th century spelling) was often sardonically referred to in the 1800s. That reference came about from the way the Booker business empire virtually ran the colony. From a 21st Century standpoint we might look on it in a sinister Weyland-Yutani way.

… Strictly for storytelling purposes, of course, if you’re a lawyer representing the Booker Group. Honest. Really. (Although after this latest merger I don’t know if anybody would still care.) Anyway, as you readers have requested, this time I’ll establish the action then go back to detail the setup.

crossed sabresThe Action: Sir Harry Flashman and his wife Elspeth visit British Guiana right after their American Tour ended in August, 1876. A combination of Her Majesty’s Government’s interests and Flashman’s own hunger for large amounts of filthy luchre to sustain his and Elspeth’s grand new lifestyle wind up launching the British blackguard into his latest adventure.

Sword and pistols in hand, Harry leaves Elspeth back in the capital city of Georgetown while he takes part in a covert search for gold in the jungle region disputed by Great Britain and Venezuela. Continue reading

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Filed under Neglected History, Pulp Heroes

POLITICAL CARTOON ROUNDUP: JUNE 4th

This first item is a good reminder that the Democrats are frantically ignoring the fact that the country doesn’t want President Trump impeached because those Democrats are terrified about where the investigation into Obama’s spying on Trump and other Americans – especially reporters – is going. 

Obama spied on American citizens

Next is this take on Robert “Whitey Bulger Scandal” Mueller as Creepy Joe Biden molesting Justice. Mueller has long had a reputation for corruption, which was why the Swamp called the American Government figured he was sleazy enough to bring down President Trump. Despite all Mueller’s unethical behavior – AND BY THE WAY HIS KEY WITNESS RECENTLY GOT NABBED ON CHILD PORN CHARGES – he failed.

Mueller as Biden molesting Justice

Old Man Yells At CloudROBERT DENIRO YELLS AT CLOUD – This one isn’t a political cartoon, it’s just a reminder that the increasingly senile Robert Deniro – better known as “Robert the Zero” – dementedly thinks it means something that he found assorted EX-prosecutors who hate President Trump as much as he does. That’s adorable!

Run along, Bobby! You’re obviously much, much, MUCH too old to understand the issues. Or to practice proper hygiene. (Take a bath or a shower, you unkempt hobo!) Go back to preparing for your role in Senile Grandpa or whatever sub-Adam Sandler garbage you’ve been appearing in for decades now.  

This next one speaks for itself and addresses why groveling Democrats like Biden are always prefered by the most corrupt and oppressive nations in the world.

Biden bowing and scraping  

Another one about corrupt Robert Mueller’s indefensible goodbye innuendoes in which he tried to provoke impeachment WEEKS after being forced to admit he had NOTHING on President Trump. Refusing to answer questions proved Mueller’s cowardice, too. Hit and run insinuations tailored to make Trump-haters slobber all over themselves even more than they already do. 

Mueller corrupt

Continue reading

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Filed under humor, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, opinion

NCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES CONTINUE

The NCAA Division Three Championship series is set – Chapman U will play BSC. D2 continues. 

NCAA DIVISION TWO

Colorado Mesa University Mavericks logoDAY THREE, GAME ONE: The top seeds – the COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY MAVERICKS – faced the 5th seeded UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES. After a scoreless 1st Inning the Mavericks went up 3-0 in the 2nd.

By the 5th Inning Colorado Mesa University led the Mules by a score of 6-3. The University of Central Missouri pulled to within 6-5 in the 6th Inning but no further, making 6-5 the final tally as well. Pitcher Andrew Morris got the win.  Continue reading

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FOOL KILLER PART TWENTY-THREE: FEBRUARY, 1920

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT, CLICK HERE

Fool Killer 1920sPART TWENTY-THREE: Here is a look at some of the Fool Killer’s targets from James L Pearson’s February of 1920 issue.

*** People supporting Prohibition.

*** The Fool Killer crashed and slammed a Protestant conference in Boston. The Protestant Preachers were discussing the time period’s shortage of young men willing to become Preachers, a shortage the Fool Killer often took “credit” for since he claimed it was fear of meeting his (the Fool Killer’s) wrath that helped scare a lot of men away from the pulpit. (The fictional vigilante went after Elmer Gantry-like corrupt Preachers long before Sinclair Lewis’ novel Elmer Gantry had been published.)

              This conference was endorsing the use of phonograph records as “canned” sermons and – since J.L. Pearson’s version of the Fool Killer had an unfortunate preoccupation with religion – this use of such canned sermons found the homicidal fellow unleashing some non-fatal wrath on congregations around the country IF they lazily used the pre-recorded sermons. (Remember, in the 1800s part of the Fool Killer’s Bogey Man aspect was that he would supposedly kill fools who fell asleep during mass.)

*** Supporters of the Red Scare being pushed by Democrat Woodrow Wilson’s Attorney General A Mitchell Palmer (as in the Palmer Raids).

*** Supporters of Republican General Leonard Wood.

*** “Spiritualist” con artists who took money from people for pretending to put them in contact with their dead loved ones in the Afterlife. Sometimes the Fool Killer also preyed upon the foolish victims of the con artists, depending on his ever-changing moods.  Continue reading

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Filed under Mythology, Neglected History, opinion

NCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES CONTINUE IN DIV TWO & THREE

NCAA DIVISION TWO

uc-sandiegotritonsDAY TWO, GAME ONE: The 6 seeds – the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO TRITONS – took on the 3rd seeded CATAWBA COLLEGE INDIANS. Neither team scored during a Pitcher’s Duel that lasted the first 4 Innings.

The 5th Inning saw the Tritons drive in 5 Runs, which also wound up being the last of the scoring for either team. When all was said and done UC-San Diego won the game 5-0 behind Pitcher Preston Mott. Continue reading

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PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLS FOR GLOBAL DECRIMINALIZATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY

LGBTs for Trump PICTURE NINETYDe facto Third Party President Donald Trump, still standing and smiling despite the ugly attempts to bring him down by the career criminals called Democrats and Republicans, marked LGBT Pride Month. It was a nice reminder that Trump – since he’s NOT a real Republican – has attracted high levels of support from LGBT voters as well as voters of color for an (R). This is why Republican trash like the Bush Family, Mitt Romney, Justin Amash and the clueless white guys at National Review hate Trump.

Trump smiling very bigly(WE NEED THIRD PARTIES.) I don’t trust the polls, especially after how wrong they were in 2016 and most recently in Australia’s elections, but America’s Democrats eat, sleep and breathe nothing but polls so it is HILARIOUS that those polls are showing Trump at two-year highs for approval rating, also showing Trump ABOVE OBAMA IN ESTIMATION OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL CONDUCT (Now THAT’s gotta hurt delusional Obama worshippers) AND showing Trump higher than Obama’s presidency in terms of “Caring about the issues that impact my life.”

Remember, my view is that polls have become meaningless with so many people not answering their phones for unfamiliar phone numbers, but Democrats LIVE by polls … well, as long as the polls say what they want to hear. Otherwise they froth at the mouth and snivel about how “stupid” they think everyone is. LMAO! 

Pelosi coverup frameBY THE WAY, ANTI-TRUMP FASCISTS – There are lessons to be learned regarding Trump supporters and growing acceptance of public LGBT issues. Just as many people have LGBT folks in their family or circle of friends and THAT made them come to resent openly-expressed hostility toward those family members or friends, so too do many people have Trump supporters in their family or circle of friends and THAT has made them come to resent openly-expressed hostility toward Trump and his supporters from the pretentious asses of the American Left.  

Donald Trump never called racist till running against DemocratsSpeaking for myself, too, even if I didn’t support Trump I would have grown to despise the non-stop hostility toward his supporters from Democrat fascists, politically biased “educators” (LMAO), brain-dead professional athletes and shallow, uninformed, emotionally unstable entertainers.

If forced to choose between loved ones and friends or the increasingly violent and irrational anti-Trump loons I will ALWAYS side with loved ones and friends against the Trump-haters. And that would be true no matter if I had ever liked Trump or not. Democrats, having absolutely no identity outside of their political opinions, may be incapable of understanding that.  

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

JACKSON BROWNE: SOMEBODY’S BABY

Balladeer’s Blog’s recurring bit Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead is back with Jackson Browne and his song Somebody’s Baby

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NJCAA CHAMPS DECIDED, TWO NCAA SERIES STILL ROLLING

NJCAA DIVISION ONE

Central Arizona College Vaqueros NEWCHAMPIONSHIP GAME: The CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE VAQUEROS took on the IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS yesterday. The 1st Inning was an embarrassment to both defenses and ended in a 7-4 Reivers lead.

From there the Vaqueros would only permit Iowa Western College to drive in 1 more Run in the 6th Inning while keeping their own bats red-hot. Central Arizona College won the game by a final score of 13-8 behind the pitching of Mitchell DeCovich. * THE VAQUEROS ARE CHAMPIONS OF NJCAA BASEBALL *

NCAA DIVISION TWO

centralmissourimulesDAY ONE, GAME ONE: The 5 seeds – the UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES – clashed with the 4th seeded ASHLAND UNIVERSITY EAGLES. The Mules parlayed a 1-0 edge in the 1st Inning into a 5-0 advantage by the 2nd.

The 4th Inning ended with the University of Central Missouri on top 7-2 and the 5th in a 9-2 Mules lead. The Eagles would trim that to 9-4 in the 7th Inning but that ended the scoring as 9-4 also wound up being the final tally. Ben Kelsch pitched for the win. Continue reading

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FOOL KILLER: PART TWENTY-TWO – JANUARY 1920

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT, CLICK HERE

Fool Killer 1920sPART TWENTY-TWO: After a two-part examination of the newest Fool Killer Letter (CLICK HERE ) and the revelation of the vigilante’s activities in Texas in December of 1899 it’s back to looking at the 1919-1929 Fool-Killer presented by THE James Larkin Pearson.

The targets of the Fool Killer (I prefer no hyphen) in the January, 1920 issue:

*** Major newspapers which chided American Labor for bringing attention to the unscrupulous activities of the bloated rich pigs who ran the management side of America’s industries.

              It’s reminiscent of today’s battles with the Robber Barons of Silicon Valley, like Mark “Skippy” Zuckerberg, Jack “White Male Privilege” Dorsey and their fellow corporate fascists at Google and elsewhere. (And check out the documentary The Creepy Line which exposes Silicon Valley fascists at their worst.)

*** Ever since aircraft were proven to be workable the fictional Fool Killer seemed to have moderated his instinctive assumptions that people trumpeting scientific breakthroughs were fools and/or liars. By 1920 if an inventor or tinkerer boasted about their amazing discoveries or devices the homicidal vigilante had shifted to a policy of investigating the claimant and their scientific breakthrough.

              If the claims held up to the Fool Killer’s scrutiny he took no action. But if the claims seemed ridiculously wrong OR like a con or scam to trick people out of their money the folk figure unleashed his weaponry on the “fool” …

*** The Fool Killer investigated a recent claim from “a young feller up north in New York” (no name given) that he invented a “gas vaporizer” to replace carburetors. The young inventor claimed that his device would let your car get “ninety miles per gallon.” Since no such device ever hit the market it would seem the claimant was a con artist and was subjected to the Fool Killer’s usual brand of summary “justice.”

*** In Kansas City the roaming vigilante looked into another inventor’s claim that he had invented “an all-new type of engine” that was “sixty percent more efficient” than the engines currently in use. This, too, seems to have been a scam and the self-proclaimed inventor was dealt with.    Continue reading

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TWO MORE COLLEGE BASEBALL CHAMPS CROWNED, NCAA WORLD SERIES UNDERWAY

NAIA

tennessee wesleyan collegeCHAMPIONSHIP GAME: The top seeds – the TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS – clashed with the 6th seeded SAINT THOMAS UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (should be the Tomcats) for the NAIA title. A 1-0 1st Inning edge for the Bulldogs became a 2-0 lead in the 3rd.

By the end of the 6th Inning the Tennessee Wesleyan College advantage had expanded to 6-1. The only other Run scored the rest of the way came from the Bobcats in the 7th Inning as the Bulldogs won the game 6-2. Cole Bellair was the triumphant Pitcher. * THE BULLDOGS ARE CHAMPIONS OF NAIA BASEBALL

NJCAA DIVISION TWO

Northern Oklahoma College at Enid Jets SQUARECHAMPIONSHIP GAME: The last two teams standing in this World Series were the 5th seeded NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE AT ENID JETS and the 3 seeds – the MESA COLLEGE THUNDERBIRDS. After 2 scoreless Innings the Thunderbirds went up 2-0 in the 3rd.

The 4th Inning saw the Jets go on top 3-2, and in the 5th Inning a 4-4 deadlock resulted. Northern Oklahoma College at Enid drove in a Run in the top of the 9th and rode it to a 5-4 victory for Pitcher Brandon Hudson. * THE JETS ARE CHAMPIONS OF NJCAA DIVISION TWO BASEBALL *

NCAA DIVISION THREE

Boston BeaconsDAY ONE, GAME ONE: The UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT BOSTON BEACONS took the diamond against the WEBSTER UNIVERSITY GORLOKS. Neither team scored in the first 2 Innings, following which the 3rd ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Gorloks grabbed a 3-1 lead in the 4th Inning but by the 7th the Beacons had knotted things up again, this time at 3-3. A UMass-Boston Run in the 8th Inning held up as the Beacons triumphed 4-3 behind the pitching of Bobby Tramondozzi. Continue reading

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