Monthly Archives: March 2020

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NCAA D3 ROUND TWO

NCAA DIVISION THREE

Swarthmore College GarnetROUND TWO: IC VS SC – The SWARTHMORE COLLEGE GARNET took the court against the ITHACA COLLEGE BOMBERS. The 1st Half ended with the score knotted up at 44-44 but after the break the Garnet outscored the Bombers 42-34 for an 86-78 victory. Vinny DeAngelo led Swarthmore College with 21 points. 

Pomona Pitzer College Sagehens NEWROUND TWO: EU VS PPC – The POMONA-PITZER COLLEGE SAGEHENS battled the EMORY UNIVERSITY EAGLES in a game that was for the birds. The Sagehens were chasing the Eagles 34-29 at the Half but regrouped in the locker room to manage a 71-70 come-from-behind win. Micah Elan’s 20 points led Pomona-Pitzer College. Continue reading

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AND TWENTY MORE FAILED PREDICTIONS BY PSYCHICS

Balladeer’s Blog once again shamelessly panders gives readers what they want with yet ANOTHER list of Twenty Failed Predictions By Psychics.

Post ApocalypseBERKELEY PSYCHIC INSTITUTE (For 1975-1981)

*** In 1978 a war would break out between the Soviet Union and Germany. Several smaller countries would be drawn into the conflict and ultimately a new government would rise in the Soviet Union.

*** In 1976 the President of Mexico along with members of his family and two of his ministers would be assassinated, ending in the overthrow of the government.

*** Around 1978 or 1979 a Slovakian avatar would appear. This figure would operate on a psychic level and some time later would manifest himself as God. (Remember when that happened? Good times.) 

Mascot new look*** On May 26th, 1977 a war over fishing rights would break out between the Soviet Union and Greenland with nuclear torpedoes being used.

*** In 1980 several icebergs near the North Pole would break apart, revealing the remains of an advanced ancient civilization. Among the items that the submarine explorers would find would be machines, a time capsule and possibly materials from another planet revealing that they kicked off life on Earth. A giant glowing ball radiating tremendous energy would drive away the explorers. Continue reading

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TALES OF TWENTY HUNDRED (1911-1912): ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

Blue Book May 1912TALES OF TWENTY HUNDRED (1911-1912) – Written by William Wallace Cook, originally serialized in the monthly publication Blue Book Magazine from December of 1911 to May of 1912. This is Balladeer’s Blog’s third look at a work by THE William Wallace Cook and in this case it’s a six-part serial consisting of a half-dozen interconnected short(ish) stories.

PART ONE: THE BILLION DOLLAR CARGO (December 1911) – The year is 2050 A.D. Airships run by solar energy fill the skies while land vehicles are powered by radium engines. At hospitals “germicide treatments” can heal people of virtually any illness. Mind-reading machines called psychographs are used to read the thoughts of people who are on trial.

The United States, Great Britain, Japan, Germany, Austria and the nations of Scandinavia comprise a huge geopolitical entity called the Quadruple Alliance. That alliance’s greatest global rival is the Federated States of South America, made up of the nations of Central and South America. 

masc chair and bottleGeo-engineering on a massive scale has become possible. Wealthy industrialist Vincent Blake has already completed a project involving the elimination of the Aleutian Islands to allow the warmer waters of the Pacific Ocean to turn the Arctic region into a place with more moderate temperatures. Hilariously, this is depicted as having no adverse effects on the planet. (Hey, it’s a 1911 story.) 

Next on the schedule for Blake is an even more ambitious project – he plans to straighten the Earth’s axis and provide mild summer conditions year-round all over the world. This type of absurd notion was also featured in the 1894 book A Journey in Other Worlds, previously reviewed here at Balladeer’s Blog.

In that earlier story the establishment of year-round moderate weather was presented as a fait accompli and had had no negative side-effects. In this tale the Federated States of South America are convinced that Vincent Blake’s project will negatively impact them and launch violent plans to stop him. Continue reading

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DEMOCRATS BLOCK CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE: DEMOCRAT ATROCITY ROUNDUP

Democrat rat logo

DEMOCRAT PARTY

WE NEED THIRD PARTIES! And we need for even more of us former Democrats to #WALKAWAY from that divisive and destructive organization. Congressional Democrats decided to ignore what HAD been a bipartisan relief package regarding the Chinese Coronavirus and instead play their usual political games.

Crazed Nancy PelosiEven the Democrats at the New York Times pointed out in their headlines how the Democrats had scuttled this package.

I didn’t think I could still be surprised by the depths the Democrats will sink to but they proved me wrong. This revives the often-asked question about Congressional Democrats: Are they vermin or are they just large clumps of bacteria sculpted into human form?  Continue reading

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NJCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AND OTHER TOURNAMENT ACTION

NJCAA DIVISION THREE

Sandhills College FlyersNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – This title tilt pitted the top seeds – the SANDHILLS COLLEGE FLYERS – against the 2nd seeded MOHAWK VALLEY COLLEGE HAWKS (should be the Mohawks). The Flyers were chasing the Hawks 50-47 at Halftime but came from behind in the 2nd Half to win the game 93-89. Sayaun Dent led Sandhills College with 27 points. * THE FLYERS ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE NJCAA DIVISION THREE TOURNAMENT *

NCAA DIVISION THREE

christopher newport universityROUND ONE: CNU VS CC – The CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY CAPTAINS did battle with the COLBY COLLEGE WHITE MULES. The Captains embarrassed the White Mules in the 1st Half, leading them 32-17 by the break. From there Christopher Newport University stayed out in front all the way for a 74-64 triumph. Adrian Beasley and Luther Gibbs led the Captains with 13 points each.

Yeshiva MaccabeesROUND ONE: WPI VS YU – In this game the YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MACCABEES played the WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE ENGINEERS. The Maccabees put up 51 points in each Half, leading the Engineers 51-30 at the midpoint, then winning by a Century Club-level score of 102-78. Ryan Turell notched FORTY-ONE points to lead Yeshiva University. Continue reading

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ROBERT LUDLUM EXPANDED UNIVERSE

masc graveyard newReader Daniel Kibblesmith requested this item about how I’d treat an expanded universe from Robert Ludlum’s espionage novels. Here at Balladeer’s Blog I’m about responding to you readers. I had sprinkled my reviews of Robert Ludlum’s Top Seven Novels with observations of what I would have liked to see in terms of offshoots or spin-off stories. So, since Expanded Universes are becoming all the rage in recent decades here’s an outline of my fan fiction-style view of an Expanded Robert Ludlum Universe.

Robert LudlumI. BEOWULF AGATE – Series of short stories or a made for cable series. The tales would be set from the 1950s to late 1970s, ending just before the events in The Matarese Circle. Ludlum’s fictional intelligence organization Consular Operations would take center stage.

Brandon Scofield, codename Beowulf Agate, one of the main characters of The Matarese Circle, would be shown pulling off his highest level defections from the Soviet Union in his best “Cold War version of the Scarlet Pimpernel” style. Every so often he would clash with his archenemy – KGB Agent Vasili Taleniekov. To up the suspense level sometimes Taleniekov would win their clashes. 

Bourne IdentityII. OPERATION: MEDUSA – Another series of short stories or a made for cable series. Ludlum’s Operation: Medusa was his fictional version of the Vietnam War’s real-life Phoenix Project. Operation: Medusa was the top-secret, paramilitary Black Operations outfit in which David Webb aka Jason Bourne got his first covert experience.

Officially disavowed by the U.S. government, Medusans spent the final few years of the Vietnam War pulling off assassinations, abducting and torturing information out of North Vietnamese movers and shakers, committing acts of sabotage AND facilitating escapes from POW camps. David Webb, his brother Gordon, D’Anjou (Codename: Echo), Alexander Conklin and “The Monk” himself, David Abbot would be the main characters but we would meet new Medusans, too. Continue reading

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THE MASKED MAN: STORY SIX

For this superhero-crazed world Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of B.C. Boyer’s neglected 1980s superhero the Masked Man. For Part One click HERE

Eclipse Monthly 4ECLIPSE MONTHLY Vol 1 #4 (January 1984)

Title: The Amazing Aphidman

Villain: The Organ Grinder

Masked Man full faceSynopsis: Writer and artist B.C. Boyer was wearing his Will Eisner hat more flamboyantly than ever this time around in a tale that piles on the comic relief with a shovel.

Big-time reporter Dan Drekston is still hanging around with the Masked Man (Dick Carstairs) and his friend Barney McAlister and is still threatening to blow our hero’s secret identity or to try proving he doesn’t turn over all the money or goods he recovers from robbers.   Continue reading

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BIBLE COLLEGE NIT CHAMPS CROWNED, PLUS NJCAA FINAL FOUR ACTION

BIBLE COLLEGE NIT

Trinity Baptist College Eagles BIGNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – A tournament that was basically all chalk came to a close in the expected way – with the top seeded TRINITY BAPTIST COLLEGE EAGLES facing the 2 seeds – the BLUE LIGHTS COLLEGE OF APEX THOROUGHBREDS. The game was a real thriller, but in the end the Eagles outdid the Thoroughbreds for an 84-76 victory. * THE EAGLES ARE BIBLE COLLEGE NIT CHAMPIONS *

NJCAA DIVISION THREE

Sandhills College FlyersFIRST SEMIFINAL – The top seeds – the SANDHILLS COLLEGE FLYERS – took the court to tackle the 4th seeded ROCHESTER TECHNICAL COLLEGE YELLOW JACKETS. By Halftime the Flyers were clinging to a mere 37-36 edge but after the break they got a bit more separation from their opponents to win the game 84-76. Savion Staton led Sandhills College in scoring with 16 points. Continue reading

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HARRIS POLL: AT LEAST SIXTY PERCENT APPROVE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CORONAVIRUS EFFORTS

Trump is the new FDRWE NEED THIRD PARTIES. Independent voter site Balladeer’s Blog remains the only place on the web that criticizes both of America’s major political parties equally. Some Democrat politicians – even Ilhan Omar – are bravely crossing party lines to praise the Trump administration’s coronavirus efforts.

The Harris Poll recently showed 60 percent approving of the President’s approach and the ABC Poll showed 55% approving. 

It’s nice to see at least a few Democrats willing to work for ALL the people by praising de facto Third Party President Donald Trump’s terrific measures against the Chinese Coronavirus, the most talked-about virus since the Spanish Flu of a century ago.

America’s forever-shrill media called Trump “racist” for his travel bans to curtail the spread of the virus, only to look as foolish as usual when other countries imposed the same measures.

democrat republican awakeEven now the worthless corporate media fixates on calling people racist for  correctly saying “Chinese Coronavirus” and ignoring the way there is no condemnatory intent behind such labels. SPANISH Flu, GERMAN measles, etc. Even the Democrats at CNN have called it the “Chinese Coronavirus” on several occasions beginning on January 22nd of this year.

Trump also signed the most comprehensive relief package related to the pandemic to date, including guaranteed free testing, paid sick leave, enhancements to unemployment relief, and paid emergency leave. Congratulations to President Trump for getting EVEN REPUBLICAN OFFICE-HOLDERS to go along with this since they usually have nervous breakdowns at the thought of the government spending money to help people in the U.S. Trump really is the new Franklin Roosevelt.   

And it was great the way the president recently put a typically partisan and divisive Democrat reporter in their place when they tried to politicize the crisis:

REPORTER: “You did say a few days ago that you did have a sense that this was a pandemic that was coming. So why was the United States not prepared with more testing — “

TRUMP: “We were very prepared. The only thing we weren’t prepared for was the media. The media has not treated it fairly. I will tell you how prepared I was, I called for a ban from people coming in from China long before anybody thought it was — in fact, it was your network, I believe they called me a racist because I did that. It was many of the people in the room, they called me racist and other words because I did that, because I went so early. So when you say we weren’t prepared, had I let these tens of thousands of people come in from China a day, we would have had something right now that would have been — you wouldn’t have even recognized it compared to where we are … So when you say that I wasn’t prepared, I was the first one to do the ban. Now other countries are following what I did. But the media doesn’t acknowledge that. They know it’s true. They know it’s true, but they don’t want to write about it.” Continue reading

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PART TWO OF TWENTY JAMES GARNER MOVIES (11-20)

FOR THE FIRST TEN MOVIES CLICK HERE

One Little IndianONE LITTLE INDIAN (1973) – Light-hearted family western. James Garner portrays Corporal Clint Keyes, who, after clashing with his Indian-hating superior, escapes a potential hanging for it and rides off into the desert with a pair of camels left over from the ill-advised American Camel Corps attempt in the 1800s.

Clay O’Brien was the title character, Mark, a white boy who had been raised by Native Americans and who winds up tagging along with Keyes, Lone Wolf and Cub-style. Vera Miles plays the widowed Doris McIver and a very young Jodie Foster has the role of her daughter Martha. (“Why did you say that NAME!?”)

Morgan Woodward portrays the bad guy Sgt Raines, who relentlessly pursues Keyes to bring him back to be executed for mutiny and desertion. Robert Pine, Andrew Prine and Dallas‘ Jim Davis are in the cast as well. Naturally there’s a happy ending with Mark, the widow McIver and her daughter serving as a pre-packaged family for Garner’s character in the finale. Continue reading

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