Monthly Archives: May 2023

JULY 2017

FOR PART ONE OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE (2016) FROM INDEPENDENT VOTER SITE BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE.

shiva aINDIAN-AMERICAN SHIVA AYYADURAI ON WHY HE VOTED FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP. Incredible insights, including “I saw Trump as a necessary force to disrupt a broken system that was no longer serving the American people”.

And “The truth is what intellectual and Hollywood Elites are upset at … [It] is not Trump, but that they lost control over everyday people, who they discounted as inferior — a lower caste.”

EVEN SNOPES WAS FORCED TO CORRECT THE AVALANCHE OF LIES ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP. Snopes defended the President in an article titled, “The Lies of Donald Trump’s Critics“. In case you forgot the Apocalypse of the Week lies that the corporate media told about Trump. And here in 2023 the lies continue.

democrats oppressing people whileMORE DEMOCRAT SLOGANS. And even more HERE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS SERPICO. America’s corrupt political establishment is still trying to make Trump an example for any outsider trying to reform the system. 

CAMILLE PAGLIA BLAMES THE DEMOCRATS FOR DESTROYING JOURNALISM WITH THEIR ANTI-TRUMP HYSTERIA. And in 2017 we hadn’t seen ANYTHING yet when it came to bizarre lies about Trump. Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

JUSTICE LEAGUE AND JUSTICE SOCIETY VS DARKSEID, PLUS MORE (1980-1984)

For this weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog, I will review the final few crossover stories involving DC’s Justice League and Justice Society. For my review of their 1963-1969 crossovers click HERE.

jla 183JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Vol 1 #183 (October 1980)

Title: Crisis on New Genesis

Justice Society Roster: Dr. Fate, Power Girl, the original Huntress and the original Wonder Woman (Diana Prince-TREVOR)

Justice League Roster: Firestorm, 2nd Superman, 2nd Green Lantern and 2nd Batman

New Gods Roster: Orion, Mr. Miracle, Big Barda, Metron, Lightray, Highfather and Oberon  

Villains: Darkseid, the Fiddler, Icicle and the Shade

NOTE: This crossover has the JLA and JSA teaming up with the New Gods, Jack Kirby’s creations which were kind of the third version of the X-Men and the Inhumans. His fourth version, the Eternals, had been introduced back at Marvel during his 1970s return there.

Synopsis: The planet called New Genesis is the home of the superpowered figures called the New Gods. Their arch-foe is Darkseid, ruler of the planet Apokolips. As the story begins, Darkseid is still presumed dead following his previous clash with the New Gods.

new godsThe remaining evil forces on Apokolips – led by Granny Goodness (a Kirby creation, needless to say) – have raided New Genesis and abducted most of the inhabitants, then taken them as slaves back to their own planet. They did it with the help of three Earth-Two villains – Icicle, Shade and the Fiddler – so the New Gods use the annual get-together of the Justice Society and Justice League to recruit the two teams to help them recover their kidnapped population. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

MARK GREGORY: TEN FILMS

It’s been pointed out to me that for my look at Mark Gregory’s action films I did not provide my usual “all links in one convenient post” item after a series of themed blog posts. Here we go.

adam and eve vs the cannibalsADAM AND EVE VS THE CANNIBALS (1983) – Way back in 2014 I reviewed this quasi-peplum flick starring Mark Gregory, real name Marco De Gregorio. Instead of portraying Hercules or Maciste or Samson taking on monsters and human opponents, Mark played Adam taking on monsters and human opponents.

Andrea Goldman portrayed Eve as the couple are expelled from the Garden of Eden and clash with dinosaurs, fur-faced cavemen, giant bears and green-skinned cannibals before settling down to have children. Weird story. Weirder theology. Continue reading

4 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies

BOOK OF THE DUN COW: PART TEN

Here is the tenth and FINAL part of Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the various mythological works in Ireland’s Lebor na hUidre, The Book of the Dun Cow. For Part One click HERE.

ireland 600THE STORY IMPLYING THAT MONGAN WAS FIONN MAC CUMHAILL REBORN AND HOW HE AND HIS NEPHEW KILLED FOTHAD AIRGTHECH (Scel asa mberar combad hé Find mac Cumaill Mongáin ocus aní día fil aided Fothaid Airgdig) – Ireland’s Prince Mongan, whom we met in a few previous installments, was a historical figure but his life has been so smothered in embellishments and legends that facts can be hard to come by. He supposedly died around 625 A.D.

        This particular item presented Mongan arguing with the poet Forgoll when that poet claimed to know the circumstances of the death of Irish High King Fothad Airgthech, who ruled around what we would call the early 270s A.D. A heated argument breaks out.

        book of the dun cowEventually Forgoll insists his knowledge has been insulted by Mongan’s contrary claim and threatens to curse and ridicule Mongan unless Mongan gives him his wife by way of reparations. An elderly, decrepit stranger arrives on the scene.

        The stranger says he is Cailte mac Ronain, nephew of Fionn mac Cumhaill (better known as Finn MacCool). Cailte is one of the last surviving members of Fionn’s troops and has lived this long through enchanted means. Like Oisin, his fellow survivor of the Battle of Gabhra, Cailte is destined to live long enough to convey tales of ancient Ireland to the prophesied Saint Patrick. Continue reading

46 Comments

Filed under Mythology

MAY 3rd ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

biden bank failuresHere’s the latest roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog.

JOE BIDEN’S 2023 BANKING COLLAPSE IS NOW WORSE THAN THE BANKING COLLAPSE OF 2008 WAS. More HERE. And HERE.

biased mediaDEADBEAT DAD HUNTER BIDEN, UNDERBOSS OF THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY, CHEWED OUT BY JUDGE FOR TRYING TO CONCEAL INCOME TO GET OUT OF PAYING MORE CHILD SUPPORT

MINNESOTA DEMOCRATS PASS LAW TO TAKE CHILDREN FROM PARENTS WHO DON’T PLAY ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN’S “TRANS” PLANS. The law (HF-146) adds a new category under which courts can take children from their parents’ custody. Before this bill was passed, the law recognized only abandonment and abuse as grounds for a court taking custody of a child. This bill adds a third category, “The child has been unable to obtain gender-affirming health care” (Section 3.3). If a child is prevented from receiving “gender-affirming care,” then the state has a right to take emergency custody. 

        Democrats called critics of the bill the forces of “hatred and bigotry”.

HUNTER BIDEN’S LAWYERS CALLED OUT FOR WITNESS INTIMIDATION REGARDING WHISTLEBLOWERS. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS HENCE (1818) – ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

pocket magazine of classicFIVE HUNDRED YEARS HENCE (1818) – Written under the pseudonym “D” this work was published the same year as Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. The story is presented as written observations of the world in October and November of the year 2318.

London has fallen so far in prominence that it is by then just a fishing village, barely known outside of England. Liverpool is close to becoming a ghost town, and Oxford is closing its sole remaining institution of higher education. In Edinburgh of all places, disparaging Great Britain is a crime punishable by being hanged upside down.

Next, D turned their attention across the pond to the United States. Continue reading

19 Comments

Filed under Ancient Science Fiction

THE CASSANDRA CROSSING (1976)

cassandra crossingTHE CASSANDRA CROSSING (1976) – The Andromeda Strain meets the later Supertrain in this railroad version of the Airport movies. I’m sure we all know the formula of Disaster Movies, be they about natural disasters striking cities or manmade disasters striking mass transportation like airplanes, ships and trains.   

The Cassandra Crossing was a co-production of Carlo Ponti and Lew Grade. The film had a lot of potential but was ultimately doomed by oddball acting choices, a script full of holes and a train that clearly changes multiple times during the course of the movie. And I mean it even changes from electric to diesel multiple times as the film progresses.

cassandra crossing posterIn general, the storyline involves a genetically engineered plague covertly developed by government functionaries (think of Anthony Fauci and his ilk) despite international agreements not to conduct such research. Terrorists who want to steal the plague for their own use botch a raid on the International Health Organization (a pastiche of the World Health Organization), which results in a shootout and in two of the terrorists being exposed to the plague.

One of the exposed gunmen escapes and seeks shelter on a departing train, spreading the plague – for which there is no known cure – to the other passengers, instigating a crisis. If the infected aren’t contained, this plague could wipe out 60% of the population of Europe and eventually, the world. The government locks down all the people on the train and proceeds to care more about covering up where the disease originated than they do about public safety.  Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies