Monthly Archives: March 2024

NCCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AND NCAA DIVISION TWO RESULTS

NCCAA DIVISION ONE

cedarville u yellow jacketsNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The top seeds – the CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY YELLOW JACKETS – took on the 2nd seeded WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS (should be Flying Ws) in this title tilt.

Come Halftime the Yellow Jackets were nursing a 35-31 edge. After the break Cedarville University left the Pioneers further and further behind on their way to an 88-72 triumph. Grant Whisman and Chris Rogers led the Yellow Jackets with 20 points each. 

NCCAA DIVISION TWO

crown college polars logoNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in this Division were the top seeded CROWN COLLEGE POLAR BEARS and the 3 seeds – the NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY RAMS. 

The Polar Bears were on top of their opponents 35-29 at the Half. From there the Rams mounted a furious rally which fell just short as Crown College held on to win the game 75-72. The Polar Bears were led by Tyrus Buckner, who came up just short of a Double Double with his THIRTY points and 9 rebounds. Continue reading

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MORE SILENT FILMS ABOUT THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

jesus speakingHAPPY EASTER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! The good response to my blog post about one of the silent films depicting Jesus Christ and the Crucifixion has prompted me to provide the following list of more such silent movies – both shorts and feature films.

Here they are in no particular order:   

ChristusCHRISTUS (1916) – Directed by Giulio Cesare Antamoro, this is a fascinating look at Jesus, from the Angel visiting Mary through his Resurrection and subsequent visit with his Apostles. Christus runs 88 minutes and features some inventive variations on Biblical tableaux. The Star of Bethlehem is depicted as a comet; when Mary finds young Jesus preaching to his teachers His shadow appears as a cross; and Judas gets three visions of the Devil – first urging him on to betray Jesus, then taunting him when he regrets that betrayal, and finally welcoming him into Hell, which opens up under Judas’ swinging corpse.  Continue reading

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THE DUTCH SUPERHERO DE STILLE GETUIGE (THE SILENT WITNESS)

This weekend’s light-hearted and escapist superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at the Dutch-created superhero de Stille Getuige, created by Steven de Rie.

silent witnessDE STILLE GETUIGE (The Silent Witness)

Secret Identity: Koen Ernst

NOTE: Koen Ernst was a Dutch-Belgian policeman stationed in Antwerp. Dutch-Belgian artist and writer Steven de Rie created de Stille Getuige in 1987 but the figure did not see publication until 1989 in the pages of Veteranen – Het Album (Veterans – The Album).  

Origin: Police officer Koen Ernst clashed with the supernaturally powered villain Siam Silkpoint. The mystical criminal maneuvered Ernst into the clutches of the beautiful witch Miro Pyro. That witch tore out Koen Ernst’s tongue in the course of the origin story which saw the former policeman gain mystical powers himself as the Silent Witness.  Continue reading

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MARCH 29th ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

corruptionIndependent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog presents another current events roundup from Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy.

biden the fascistBIDEN REGIME’S DOJ DROPS LAWSUIT AGAINST DISH NETWORK AFTER THEY DONATE TO THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN. Impeachments have been launched over less. This is life here in Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy.

ANOTHER BIDEN REGIME SCANDAL: TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE BILLION DOLLARS IN “IMPROPER PAYMENTS” IN 2023. Have I mentioned that America is Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy?

BIDEN REGIME SPENDS THREE HUNDRED TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS ON BORDER WALLS FOR OMAN, LEBANON, TUNISIA, EGYPT AND JORDAN. But nothing on our forever-unsecured southern border.

biden corruptUNDER BIDEN POLICIES AMERICA’S WEALTHIEST ONE PERCENT SET RECORD PERSONAL WEALTH WITH FORTY-FOUR TRILLION DOLLARS WHILE THE WORKING CLASS LIVES PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK. Can people stop pretending the Democrat Party is still what it was decades ago? Trump may be wealthy, too, but at least his policies helped the working class and the poor, like FDR before him.

        Even Trump’s tax cuts benefitted everybody, despite what Trump-haters claim. Everyone I know and interact with benefitted from those tax cuts and I sure as hell don’t hang around with millionaires. Trump-haters’ minds are trapped in the 1980s and early 2000s when tax cuts really did just benefit the wealthy. Trump broke that mold.   

democrats vote fraudAND YET ANOTHER FEDERAL COURT RULES THAT CHEAT-BY-MAIL/ VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOTS CANNOT BE COUNTED WHEN THEY HAVE NO POSTMARK OR SIGNATURE. More HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE. Another victory toward preventing a recurrence of the vote fraud in 2020. That presidential election was as forever tainted and corrupt as in 1876 and 2000. Remember how Trump was leading, then various states abruptly stopped counting votes at the same time (like the tainted election in Mexico in 1988 and years later in Kenya) and a mysterious flood of Biden ballots came in during the wee hours. After the fact, the Democrats at Time Magazine ran their infamous article acting like the tampering/ “fortifying” of the election was a good thing, remember? Continue reading

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THE QUEST OF SETH FOR THE OIL OF LIFE (1962)

Quest of SethTHE QUEST OF SETH FOR THE OIL OF LIFE (1962) – Written by Esther Casier Quinn, this is one of the best and most concise works of comparative mythology that I have ever read. It’s a medieval legend often compared to the Grail story and is appropriate for Holy Thursday. The Quest of Seth for the Oil of Life is also known as The Quest of Seth for the Oil of Mercy, The Legend of the Rood and many other titles.

Quinn draws from a multitude of sources to provide several variations of this tale and explores the ways in which the course of history shaped the revisions and embellishments involved in this medieval legend. The Seth of the title is the son of Adam and Eve, the Oil of Life/ Oil of Mercy is often said to represent Jesus Christ, the Rood refers to the cross on which Jesus was crucified and its “legend” details the history and many forms of the tree/ wood that eventually became that cross. 

quest of seth for the oil of lifeFor those not familiar with this particular popular offshoot of the canonical story of Jesus Christ here’s a brief overview:

As Adam the First Man lies near death in his old age he longs for the Oil of Life/ Mercy. He instructs his son Seth to trace the footprints that he and Eve indelibly burned into the ground as they left the Garden of Eden. Since nothing ever again grew from those footprints, Seth can follow them backward to discover Eden, wherein Adam has told him he can find the Oil. Continue reading

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NAIA COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, PLUS NCCAA PLAYOFF ACTION

NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)

freed hardeman university lionsNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – It was a case of Lion-on-Lion violence as the FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY LIONS did battle with the LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS (should be Hugheses) for the title.   

At Halftime Langston University was on top 40-31 but after the break FHU was primed for a comeback. The Lions outscored the figurative “Hugheses” 40-27 for a 71-67 triumph and their first ever hoops crown. Quan Lax led Freed-Hardeman in this total team effort with his 15 points.

NCCAA (NATIONAL CHRISTIAN COLLEGE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION) DIVISION ONE

sagu aic warriorsFIRST QUARTERFINAL – The 6 seeds – the SAGU-AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE WARRIORS – had a surprise in store for the 3rd seeded MISSION UNIVERSITY PATRIOTS.

The Warriors put Mission University on Upset Alert by the Half with their 41-31 advantage. From there SAGU-AIC maintained their intensity against the Patriots, moving on to the semifinals by a final score of 80-64. Harley Upton’s 24 points led the Warriors, while his teammate Keyshawn Celestino-Clyde logged a Double Double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.  Continue reading

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SETTING READERS’ MINDS AT EASE

Ed Piskor

Ed Piskor

The hubbub from Pittsburgh regarding comic book figure Ed Piskor has resulted in several of Balladeer’s Blog’s readers asking me some questions. I can put everybody’s minds at ease.

Not only had I never even heard of this guy before the allegations and screenshots regarding his alleged grooming and sexual misconduct with underaged girls became news this week, but I can assure everyone that I have NEVER done a blog post about any of this guy’s material. Continue reading

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EASTER SILENT MOVIE: LIFE AND PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST (1903, 1907 in America)

jesus christSince this is Easter Week the Silent Film geek in me figured I’d post this 44-minute work about Jesus from the cradle to the crucifixion.

As a 1903 production it is certainly crude but the novelty value is high. Plus, viewers can listen to their favorite spiritual/ inspirational music while watching it. 

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: MARCH 26th

that thing theyTime for another current events roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog.

LATEST VOTE FRAUD SCANDAL: DEMOCRATS ONCE AGAIN MAGICALLY DISCOVER “UNCOUNTED VOTES” FOR THEIR PREFERRED CANDIDATE. More HERE. Even at the primary level, give Democrats enough time and they’ll manufacture enough votes for their preferred candidate to win. Business as usual. Remember how the DNC cheated Bernie Sanders in 2016 and Tulsi Gabbard in 2020?

this is illegal voter importationFEDERAL JUDGE RULES THAT NON-CITIZENS CAN VOTE AND HOLD OFFICE. This makes how many juris-dictions now where Democrats have made this possible? I’ve lost count. And as usual they pretend that “the non-citizens can only vote on municipal issues” but we know the Democrat playbook – ANY attempt to enforce even that aspect of the law will result in cries of “racism” and “suppressing voters.” It will all be done on “the honor system.”

        Over and over again Democrats have proven there is NO commonsense threshold for whatever insane policy they want to push on the rest of us.

BIDEN REGIME’S GARLAND THREATENED WITH CONTEMPT CHARGES OVER HIS ONGOING REFUSAL TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE IN BIDEN INVESTIGATIONS. It’s so cute when the clueless, outdated and utterly useless Republicans in Congress pretend they’re going to actually do something.

rfk jr at micROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. FIGHTS BACK AGAINST DEMOCRATS IN NEVADA STILL TRYING TO KEEP HIM OFF THE BALLOT. Democrats have made U.S. elections – even during the primaries – nothing but a joke

THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD DEMOCRAT STREAMER EXPOSED FOR HOW LITTLE THEY KNOW ABOUT HISTORY AND CURRENT EVENTS. Yet people like him pretentiously act like they’re “intellectual.” LMAO.

EVEN GEORGETOWN RESIDENTS ADMIT THAT DE FACTO THIRD PARTY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DEALT WITH THEM BETTER THAN THE BIDEN REGIME WHICH “SLAMMED THE DOOR IN THEIR FACES.

DON SURBER’S TERRIFIC PIECE ABOUT JAMES CARVILLE SUDDENLY REALIZING THE WAY PRIVILEGED WHITE ONE PERCENTER DEMOCRATS SNOBBISHLY ALIENATE PEOPLE.    Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG: ACCA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PLUS MORE

ACCA (Association of Christian College Athletics)

Ozark Christian College Ambassadors new logoCHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The ACCA includes teams from the U.S. and Canada. Their title tilt pitted the 3 seeds – the OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE AMBASSADORS – against the 4th seeded UNION COLLEGE (NE) WARRIORS.

On their way to the championship game the Ambassadors defeated the (6) Free Lutheran Bible College Conquerors and the (2) Providence (Manitoba) University College & Seminary Pilots in the previous rounds. Meanwhile, the Warriors downed the (5) Oak Hills Christian College Wolfpack and the (1) Trinity Bible College Lions.    Continue reading

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