Monthly Archives: October 2021

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 16th

HEADLINES

West Georgia Wolves BLUENUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – In NCAA Division Two the 15th ranked UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA WOLVES visited the number 1 team in the nation – the defending champion UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA ARGONAUTS. The Wolves led 17-9 at Halftime but the Argonauts pulled to within 24-23 to end the 3rd Quarter. In the 4th, West Georgia won out 30-26.

Morningside MustangsSPIRIT OF EIGHTY-FOUR – Over in the NAIA the number 3 MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS traveled to take on the BRIAR CLIFF UNIVERSITY CHARGERS. The Mustangs seized a 28-0 lead in the opening Quarter and never looked back from there. When all the dust settled they had folded, spindled and mutilated the Chargers to the tune of EIGHTY-FOUR to SEVEN.

Washburn Ichabods helmetTAKING DOWN NUMBER FOUR – Back to NCAA Division Two for this clash between the WASHBURN UNIVERSITY ICHABODS and the visiting 4th ranked NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS. The 1st Half was a defensive struggle, with the Ichabods on top by just 3-0 at the Half. That became a 10-7 edge in the 3rd Quarter and ultimately a 17-16 Upset triumph in the 4th. Continue reading

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MARVEL’S SIMON GARTH ZOMBIE: MOST HALLOWEENISH COVERS

As Halloween Month continues to unfold, Balladeer’s Blog takes a one-week break from the ongoing review of 1970s Spider-Man stories to do something more seasonal – a look at the Simon Garth zombie covers from Marvel Comics. 

tales of zombie 1TALES OF THE ZOMBIE Vol 1 #1 (July 1973)

Title: Altar of the Damned

Comment: The first Silver Age appearance of the Marvel Comics horror character Simon Garth, a brutal coffee plantation owner who was killed and brought back to life as a zombie by his Haitian workers.

Garth was not your typical mindless zombie wanting to feed on human beings all the time. His stories provided insight into the still-functioning mind of the man trapped in this horrific fate as he battled assorted supernatural menaces, some drawn from VooDoo lore, others created by Marvel.

Simon Garth could be used against his will at times by people in possession of the Amulet of Damballah which controlled him. Continue reading

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HORROR FILM: THE NEST OF THE CUCKOO BIRDS (1965)

nest of the cuckoo birdsTHE NEST OF THE CUCKOO BIRDS (1965) – Halloween Month continues here at Balladeer’s Blog with a review of this low-budget, black & white bomb which played a few theaters in 1965 then was considered lost until 2017. Florida’s Bert Williams produced, wrote, directed and starred in this very strange film which strives for “Psycho Meets Tennessee Williams” levels but falls more into territory occupied by the likes of Spider Baby and Manos, The Hands of Fate.

Williams’ wife Peggy sang the title song, which inspired a later version by the Cramps, believe it or not. Peggy also sang the closing song Lisa.

Our auteur Bert Williams plays Johnson, a Liquor Control Department Agent aka “Revenuer” in the slang of deep south moonshiners. He is sent on an assignment into the Everglades to infiltrate and bring down a violent gang of moonshiners who make their own bootleg whiskey via their still on one of the scattered pieces of solid land found in the swamps of the Florida Everglades.

After an absurdly irrelevant recollection to his chief about a lost love of his from long ago, Agent Johnson departs on his mission. 

masked killer from cuckoosJohnson’s cover is blown, and he flees into the swamplands to escape the bootleggers, who are led by their murderous boss called Doc. Half wading and half swimming, our exhausted protagonist arrives after dark at another isolated and uncharted little “island” amid the Everglades. He is nearly stabbed to death by a naked woman wearing a wig and a bizarre mask, a woman he at first mistakes for a statue.

The Revenue Agent manages to outfight and escape the woman in an utterly ridiculous fast-motion scene which could use the Benny Hill Theme as accompaniment. Johnson stumbles upon the tiny island’s lone structure – a dilapidated hotel called the Cuckoo Bird Inn, run by some of the strangest people this side of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Eaten Alive. Needless to say, the hilarity horror is just beginning. Continue reading

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Filed under Bad and weird movies, Halloween Season

POLL: FIFTY-SIX PERCENT BELIEVE CHEATING AFFECTED THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

stalin vote quoteThe recent Rasmussen Poll found that 56% believe the 2020 presidential election was tainted by cheating. (link below) Here at Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog I’ve never made any secret of the fact that the cheating and tampering seems to me to be as obvious – maybe even MORE obvious – than the cheating in the forever-tainted 1876 and year 2000 elections.

This certainly shows that people have learned not to believe the Big Lie that there is not enough evidence regarding cheat-by-mail, the sudden halt to vote counting in certain states and many other irregularities like Democrats forbidding Election Observers to “observe” their counting process. Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

THE COFFIN (2000) – HALLOWEEN SUPERHERO

Balladeer’s Blog’s 31 Days of Halloween continues with this neglected horror hero.

CoffinTHE COFFIN (2000) – Written by Phil Hester and drawn by Mike Huddleston, The Coffin was originally a four-part serial before being collected into graphic novel format. I’ll provide details below but right up front let me point out that the horrific but intriguing premise is that the Coffin is a dead scientist whose soul is trapped within a polymer techno-suit of his own creation.

Dr Ashar Ahmad, the brilliant scientist in question, is employed by Heller Technologies, whose eponymous owner is a vile and amoral tycoon. Heller himself is a figure straight out of a horror film.

He’s incredibly old and his withered, wrinkled body is still functioning only because of all of the legal and illegal organ transplants he has had. His body is a battleground of scars from all that surgery. Obviously immortality is what our power-mad plutocrat longs for.

Coffin bAnd so Heller Technologies recruited Dr Ahmad to devise strong, lightweight polymers for medical purposes. To that end Ashar has developed polymers that can be used to form an artificial membrane that is perfectly impermeable and incredibly durable.

Extensions of that technology result in masses of polymers – literally thousands of layers – some of them only a few molecules thick. Dr Ahmad has managed to make it so that these polymers react to electronic pulses like the kind from a human brain to its body’s muscles, making the polymer “skin” or membrane expand or contract in response to those electronic pulses. Continue reading

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TWO OVERLOOKED HORROR STORIES FROM JULIAN HAWTHORNE

As Halloween Month rolls along, Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at two horror stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s son, Julian.

mummiesTHE UNSEEN MAN’S STORY (1893) – A needlessly neglected mummy tale. At age twenty-eight, a Frenchman named Carigliano arrives in Egypt on assignment from the French government. He has studied Egyptology and is thrilled with his placement.

Gradually, dreams and waking visions propel him to investigate around Thebes. Once there, he discovers the previously unviolated tomb of Queen Amunuhet. Throughout the tomb’s halls and chambers he encounters reanimated mummies which stalk him, intent on killing him. Continue reading

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JOE BIDEN SCANDALS AND MORE EXPOSES ABOUT THE TAINTED 2020 ELECTION

transactions on congress membersHere at Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog I make no bones about the fact that I’d be happy to see America’s rival gangs of white-collar criminals – the Democrat and Republican Parties – splinter into multiple smaller parties. I don’t support either political party so my opinions are not based on helping either of them. I repeat that every so often for the benefit of new readers.

JOE BIDEN, OWNED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, ENDS AMERICA’S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE TO HELP MAKE US DEPENDENT ON CHINA

orwell boy did i call itTHE VILE, ORWELLIAN BIDEN REGIME. An excellent piece about the non-stop abuses by the senile yet corrupt Joe Biden and the Biden Crime Family. Their thuggish underlings are also covered.

CHINA CONTINUES TO GET ITS MONEY’S WORTH OUT OF JOE BIDEN. This time on drones.

STATE SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATIONS BLAST BIDEN FOR SICCING HIS POLITICIZED DOJ ON PARENTS

BIDEN REGIME SENDING FOREIGN AID TO THE TALIBAN. Hey, it’s less money that China will need to spend to keep their Taliban allies afloat. Crooked Joe Biden lets no opportunity to help his owners go by.

RIGGED: FEMALE ROLE MODEL MOLLIE HEMINGWAY EXPOSES THE MANY 2020 ELECTION SCANDALS IN GEORGIA. Along with the wrongdoing exposed in Arizona, Michigan and elsewhere, this further cements the way 2020 joins the 1876 and year 2000 elections in corruption. Yes, America has had three tainted presidential elections in which the likely loser went to the White House. Grow up and deal with it.

BIDEN REGIME ARRANGES A HUGE FEDERAL “LOAN” FOR THE ART GALLERY REPPING HUNTER BIDEN’S “ARTWORK.” You remember, the “sales” of that artwork allow Hunter to funnel bribe money to Joe Biden. Continue reading

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MONSTER CEREALS FOR HALLOWEEN

monster crunch gameHalloween Month continues here at Balladeer’s Blog with this nostalgic look at the Big Five monster-themed cereals from General Mills.

In a world that has seen an Emoji movie I have no idea why there’s no animated monster rally movie featuring this quintet. Or at the very least maybe some new monster cereals like Banana Witch or Grape Goblin or something. Maybe “Zom-Bea”, a female zombie whose cereal looks like tiny brains.   

count choculaCOUNT CHOCULA

First Appearance: 1971

Voiced like Bela Lugosi, this cartoon vampire preferred his own chocolate-flavored, marshmallow-sprinkled cereal treat over sucking the blood of his victims. “I vunt to eat your cereal!” was, in fact, his tagline in contrast to the cliched vampire declaration “I vunt to suck your blood!”

Count Chocula cereal is still in stores seasonally – September and October.

The cartoon character’s imitation Bela Lugosi voice was a nice nostalgic nod to fans of classic horror films, especially in regard to the Count’s rivalry with another General Mills Monster Cereal Mascot. Continue reading

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 9th

HEADLINES

Randolph Macon helmetRANDOLPH-MACON CONQUERS DIVISION TWO – NCAA Division Three’s RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE YELLOW JACKETS borrowed a page from the NAIA by toppling a higher division team yesterday. The Yellow Jackets edged NCAA Division TWO’s EMORY & HENRY COLLEGE WASPS in a 34-31 thriller.

indiana wesleyan helmet faceKNOCKING OFF NUMBER SIX – Up in the NAIA the 14th ranked INDIANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS hosted the number six team in the nation – the MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS. The Wildcats put the Knights on Upset Alert from the beginning, with a 17-0 lead in the opening Quarter. They never looked back from there, ultimately winning a 41-7 blowout.

Bethel (TN) WildcatsNUMBER EIGHT TAKES A FALL – Staying in the NAIA for a moment, the BETHEL (TN) WILDCATS welcomed the 8th ranked GEORGETOWN (KY) COLLEGE TIGERS. A 7-7 1st Quarter tie remained unchanged at Halftime before the Tigers went up 16-7 in the 3rd Quarter. In the explosive 4th Quarter the Wildcats came from behind for a 25-24 triumph. Continue reading

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EVERYBODY BELIEVES THEY ARE ON “THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY”

masc graveyard newI love exploring the mythology behind the world’s various belief systems.

America’s Democrats have regressed into a faith-based belief system that’s every bit as irrational as any other religion, but since Democrats – or “Democrat Fundamentalists” – are such pompous, hypocritical and close-minded fools it’s A LOT of fun to describe their myths as sarcastically as possible.

THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY – The Democrat Party’s version of an afterlife. Narcissistic Democrats strive to live their lives in such a way that people every bit as pretentious and snobbish as they are will sit around in the future sipping wine and pompously expressing approval of the worldview and political opinions that today’s Democrat Fundamentalists held while alive.

This notion of an afterlife is every bit as flawed and fantastic as any other religion’s tales about what happens after human beings die. No one alive today knows how the people of the future will feel about any of us or about our worldview.

SnobIf anything history has shown that people – ESPECIALLY the self-congratulatory asses called Democrats – take great delight in loudly and repeatedly condemning people of the past for (GASP) having opinions that differ from their own. It takes no courage and little effort to put on an air of moral superiority toward long-dead human beings.

That being said it’s more likely that American Democrats of the future will look down on even the most self-consciously “progressive” Puritans of today as hopelessly misguided or simply ignorant.

Those future Democrat Fundamentalists very well may just sit around sipping wine and reassuring each other that they are morally superior to every Democrat of this era for not having THE EXACT SAME opinions as they do regarding race, gender, etc. Exactly like pompous Democrat Fundamentalists of today do with people of the past.

Claiming to be on “the right side of history” represents the same flawed thinking process as being convinced that you have God on your side. EVERYBODY tends to feel that way.

#WalkAwayThe obsessive conformity, status-anxiety and insecurities of Democrats prevent them from questioning their faith and thereby realizing that their own condemnation of figures from long ago is every bit as much of a shallow, meaningless pose as the attitude that may be shown by Democrat Fundamentalists of the future. Continue reading

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