Monthly Archives: August 2024

August 17, 2024 · 8:08 pm

WNBA RESULTS – BALLADEER’S BLOG

HOME STAND – The INDIANA FEVER (12-15) hosted the PHOENIX MERCURY (14-13) in this game.

The Fever were on top of Phoenix 33-16 in the 1st Quarter and 54-37 at Halftime. To end the 3rd Quarter the Mercury pulled to within 73-65, but Indiana held on in the 4th to win the game 98-89. CAITLIN CLARK led the Fever with her Double Double of 29 points and 10 assists.  

SPANKING THE SPARKS – The league-leading NEW YORK LIBERTY (22-4) took it on the road against the LOS ANGELES SPARKS (6-19).

The Liberty parlayed their 29-10 opening Quarter lead over Los Angeles into a 57-28 advantage by the Half. After the break, New York coasted to a Century Club level 103-68 triumph over the Sparks. Breanna Stewart’s 27 points led the Liberty.  Continue reading →

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August 17, 2024 · 12:01 am

OMAC: ONE MAN ARMY CORPS (1974-1975)

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at Jack Kirby’s creation OMAC during its 1974-1975 run at DC Comics. 

OMAC 1OMAC Vol 1 #1 (October 1974)

Title: Brother Eye and Buddy Blank

Villains: Pseudo-People, Inc.

Synopsis: The setting is Earth of the future – many years from the present but before the Great Disaster that caused the post-apocalypse world of Jack Kirby’s Kamandi series. The Global Peace Agency, secretly run by aliens called the Visionaries, covertly intervene on Earth to try preventing said Great Disaster.

The GPA’s attention has been drawn to a shady corporation called Pseudo-People, Inc. which manufactures and sells lifelike programmable androids to provide human customers with companionship. To launch an investigation of the company, the agency recruits Pseudo People, Inc. employee Buddy Blank to infiltrate the organization.

omac section dBecause of the danger of this assignment, Buddy is first used as a test subject for Operation OMAC (One Man Army Corps). The test is a success and when needed, the everyday Buddy Blank can be infused with superpowers by the GPA’s orbiting satellite called Brother Eye.

As OMAC, Buddy’s body is so altered that he can battle the villainy of PPI without giving away his secret identity. In this original incarnation of OMAC, the Brother Eye satellite was eventually revealed to be the long disused Justice League satellite. (Remember, this is the far future.) Later versions of the OMAC series gave Brother Eye different origins. Continue reading →

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August 16, 2024 · 7:27 am

NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: AUGUST SIXTEENTH

media outlet bias 2More current events from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog, here in an America where the Kamala Harris Regime is forcing American Veterans to repay some disability payouts while letting illegal immigrants stay at posh hotels and get pre-paid debit cards paid for by taxpayers.  

kamala or trained sealATTEMPTS TO STOP DEMOCRATS FROM LETTING NON-CITIZENS VOTE IN THE ELECTION ARE FAILING. One side wants it more. But it IS amazing that even Europe, which Democrats so often point to as politically wonderful, requires Voter I.D. for their elections. 

ANOTHER ONE OF KAMALA’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT GANG LEADERS IN UPSTATE NEW YORK ARRESTED OVER TWENTY-THREE MURDERS.

NEW JERSEY SOCCER COACH INDICTED FOR SEXTING AND MOLESTING PLAYERS AS YOUNG AS ELEVEN YEARS OLD. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?

bloody hands of joe bidenTHE TALIBAN CELEBRATES THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIDEN-HARRIS REGIME’S DISASTROUS WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN BY PARADING THE MILITARY HARDWARE THAT BIDEN AND HARRIS LEFT FOR THEM. More HERE.

THE TALIBAN HAS MADE LIFE HELL FOR WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN. And gutless, privileged white Democrat poseurs in Handmaid’s Tale costumes are silent about it.

CHICAGO BUSINESSES BOARD UP THEIR WINDOWS OVER FEAR OF WHAT THE DEMOCRAT MOBS WILL DO DURING THEIR CONVENTION NEXT WEEK. Democrats combine the worst of Fascism and organized crime. Let’s hope that “mostly peaceful” fires and murders are kept to a minimum.

ben carsonDR. BEN CARSON: DEMOCRATS OWN THE HOUSING CRISIS CAUSED BY THEIR FLOOD OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

THE DEMOCRATS AT NPR PROVE ONCE AGAIN THAT PEOPLE WHO PRETEND TO BE “FACT CHECKING” ARE REALLY JUST EXPRESSING THEIR OWN OPINIONS ABOUT WHY THEY THINK A STATEMENT IS “UNTRUE”. They pretended to find 162 such statements in one recent opposition leader interview. Uh. Yeah. Right. And the Trump campaign could, I’m sure, find even MORE “untrue” statements in Kamala Harris speeches (she still refuses to DO interviews).

           Apparently, NPR Democrats would consider debates on any given subject “battles of lies vs facts” because they pretend The Party’s talking points are “facts” and any deviation from Democrat talking points must be untrue. Grow up, Democrats. What you do is offer REBUTTALS, not “fact checks.”

           And for Sharyl Attkisson’s article exposing the biases and lies of “fact checkers” (LMAO) click HERE. Also – RELATED. Continue reading →

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August 15, 2024 · 5:29 pm

THE AIR BATTLE: A VISION OF THE FUTURE (1859) ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

the air battleTHE AIR BATTLE: A VISION OF THE FUTURE (1859) – Written by an unknown author using the name Herrmann Lang. (Ignore the misspelling on the cover to the left.) Speculation has it that the author was British despite the German pseudonym and despite the narrator’s claim that he is a black man.

Before you jump to conclusions about how the narrator will be depicted to readers, let me make it clear that this novel has been confounding expectations for well over a century and a half now. The story is set in the year 6900 A.D. White civilization has fallen while three black and mixed-race nations are the dominant powers of the world. 

Much of the storyline deals with a war among those dominant powers to end slavery because black Christians strongly oppose that grotesque institution. In 6900 we are told that only white people are used as slaves and the war is being waged to free them. And yes, The Air Battle: A Vision of the Future really was published in 1859! Continue reading →

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August 15, 2024 · 12:01 am

RUDOLPH VALENTINO: HIS SILENT FILMS

Balladeer’s Blog’s periodic look at silent movies and silent film stars continues with a sampling of Rudolph Valentino’s movies, from both before and after he became the Latin Lover sensation of his era.

the sheikTHE SHEIK (1921) – Edith Maude Hull’s 1919 novel came to the big screen to cement Rudolph Valentino’s rising star. He shone as Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan with Agnes Ayers as Lady Diane Mayo.

Diane is an adventuress who has spurned all marriage proposals thus far and her latest escapade is a tour of the desert led by Arab guides. In a ritzy casino the night before her expedition departs, she dresses as a dancing girl to sneak into an exclusive event being held by Ahmed.

The Sheik is charmed and aroused by this wild and haughty Western woman who listens to no man, not even male relatives like her brother. Ahmed and his troops surreptitiously follow Diane’s caravan and when the time is right, the Sheik abducts her and carries her off to his elaborate tent-mansion deep in the desert.

valentino and ayresA lot of Gothic Romance Novel antics follow in this film that has not aged well. Valentino’s wide eyes and flaring nostrils were masterfully parodied by Peter Sellers in a comedy bit decades later.

It’s impossible to take his performance seriously through modern eyes, which is just as well since he is basically guilty of kidnapping and taking advantage of the young woman.

sheikAs their battle of wills goes on, Diane is seized by caravan robbers and taken to their leader’s lair. Sheik Ahmed leads his men to the rescue, and, with Stockholm Syndrome well and truly in charge, Lady Diane “realizes” how much she has fallen in love with her abductor.

The most laughable aspects of silent film histrionics make immersion in this 86-minute movie impossible. Luckily, it’s so ridiculous that you can never forget you’re watching a movie, and that Diane is never really in any danger from Valentino or anyone else. 
Continue reading →

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August 14, 2024 · 5:57 am

AUGUST FOURTEENTH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

a tampon dispenser in every boys roomYet another current events roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog, here in an America where Human Tampon Dispenser Tim Walz and cackling incompetent Kamala Harris are pushing a continuation of Joe Biden Regime policies. And a vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for Joe Biden.   

*** NEW: THE DEMOCRATS AT CNN CAUGHT SELECTIVELY EDITING THE TRUMP-MUSK FOOTAGE TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE THEY WERE SAYING THAT DROPPING NUCLEAR BOMBS ON JAPAN WAS “NO BIG DEAL.” And of course, anti-Trump imbeciles fell for it hook, line and sinker.

KAMALA HARRIS VOWS AMNESTY FOR MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND PERMANENT, NATIONWIDE “CHEAT-BY-MAIL” VOTING. The thought of Democrat totalitarian rule brings “joy” to Kackling Kamala.

government gangstersGOVERNMENT GANGSTERS: THE NEW DOCUMENTARY WHOSE TITLE ALONE PERFECTLY CAPTURES THE WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALS OF AMERICA’S CESSPOOL OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION.

REMINDER: THE BIDEN REGIME’S MATERIAL HAS CALLED THEIR DISASTROUS BORDER AND ILLEGALS POLICY “THE BIDEN-HARRIS POLICY” SINCE 2021. To which I’m assuming Kamala clucked “WHAT border policy?” and cackled for several minutes. More HERE.

KAMALA HARRIS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR THE WAY HER BORDER DISASTER HAS TRAFFICKED SO MANY CHILDREN INTO LITERAL SLAVE LABOR. Obscene. The Mexican Cartels love Harris-Biden.

THE PEOPLE’S CANDIDATE: FARMER PLOWS A ONE-MILE WIDE TRUMP SIGN IN SAFFLOWER FIELD.

kamala making faceHARRIS BORDER DISASTER HAS ENABLED CARTEL DRONES TO ACHIEVE AIR CONTROL OVER THE BORDER WITH MEXICO.

JOE BIDEN SCREAMS INCOHERENTLY AT PUBLIC APPEARANCE. The Democrat media outlets who assured us that Joe Biden was sharp as a tack until very recently are the same people telling us Kamala Harris is competent.

DEMOCRAT’S SELF-DESCRIPTION “I’M A TRANS MAN AND GAY AND I HAVE BEEN PREGNANT.” And remember, these people call other people “weird.” Continue reading →

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August 13, 2024 · 12:15 pm

ANYBODY REMEMBER THE A.A.F. FROM 2019?

The Alliance of American Football (2019) lasted less than one of its full seasons of 10 games. Here’s a brief look at the league’s eight teams.

san diego fleetSAN DIEGO FLEET

Record: 3-5 (2 games unplayed) 

Western Conference

orlando apollosORLANDO APOLLOS

Record: 7-1 (2 games unplayed)

Eastern Conference Continue reading →

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August 13, 2024 · 12:02 am

DECOY (1957-1958) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

decoyDECOY (1957-1958) – Nobody doesn’t like Beverly Garland! For decades, she was a pleasant presence in B-movies and television. Here’s the very first tv show about a female cop, with Beverly pitch-perfect as a tough, savvy undercover policewoman. 

Garland starred as Patricia “Casey” Jones (yes, like the train engineer), who did a hard-boiled narration for her character’s adventures in 39 half-hour episodes of this series. Beverly WAS the whole show, being the only recurring character for the entire run.

decoy dvdNOTE: Frank Campanella is sometimes listed as her “co-star” but actually he played a different character in each of the 3 episodes he appeared in.

Always professional, always relentless in bringing down the bad guys, Casey was the original “no-frills” character. The only look into her personal life came from a few vague references to a past romance with a policeman who went on to get killed in the line of duty. Continue reading →

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August 12, 2024 · 6:00 am

PEOPLE OF COURAGE BLAST DEMAGOGUE KAMALA HARRIS

amanda sealesAMANDA SEALES CALLS OUT KAMALA’S PHONINESS AND HOW THE FASCIST PRESSURED HER TO STOP CRITICIZING HER. Democrats prefer docile, submissive court jesters like Jon Stewart, who used to meet regularly with Obama to make sure his “jokes” were approved by The Party.

CNN PUFF PIECE ON KAMALA HARRIS GOES WRONG WHEN THEY FIND OUT HOW THE BLACK PEOPLE THEY’RE TALKING WITH REALLY FEEL ABOUT THE DISASTROUS VP. More HERE. And HERE.

michaela montgomeryATLANTA HEROINE THOROUGHLY TROUNCES THE MANY FAILINGS OF KAMALA HARRIS AND THE DEMOCRAT PARTY.

More HERE. And HERE. She points out how Harris’ policies have harmed the Black Community HERE. For far too long, Democrats have attacked and abused voters of color who think for themselves and reject that party of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow and more.

angela stanton kingANGELA STANTON-KING TAKES DOWN KAMALA HARRIS AND DISCUSSES WHY SHE LEFT THE INTOLERANT DEMOCRAT PARTY.

DEMOCRAT MEDIA FIGURE IMPLODES OVER ALL THE BLACK PEOPLE POINTING OUT THAT THE CORRUPT, PRIVILEGED KAMALA HARRIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT KAMALA HARRIS WOULD EXTRADITE AMERICAN CITIZENS TO THE U.K. FOR ONLINE STATEMENTS LIKE STARMER WANTS . Continue reading →

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August 11, 2024 · 7:07 pm

WNBA: THE GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES

The WNBA resumes its regular season on August 15th, but for readers who miss the usual look at game results here’s a related WNBA item. A few months back I posted about the two new WNBA franchises that will be debuting.

golden state valkyriesThe GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES, sponsored by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, will debut in May of 2025. Their colors will be violet and black, and their home games will be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Already, fans have reserved over 15,000 Season Tickets, which is the MOST EVER FOR A WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL SPORTS FRANCHISE. And there are still several months left for that figure to rise higher and higher. Continue reading →

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