With the Superbowl coming up in just over a week here’s a look at January 31st editions of that NFL Championship Game.
JANUARY 31st, 1988
SUPERBOWL XXII – The WASHINGTON REDSKINS clashed with the DENVER BRONCOS in San Diego, CA. The period of NFC dominance over the AFC continued as the Broncos saw their 10-0 1st Quarter lead over Washington turn into a 35-10 Redskins advantage by Halftime. Neither team scored in the 3rd Quarter and the final tally was Washington 42 Denver 10. Continue reading
Filed under Neglected History
Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog gives you another current events roundup from an America where, with the inevitable difficulties arising, we’ll see if the Congressional Republicans are their usual gutless selves and will turn on de facto Third Party President Donald Trump.
BRILLIANT DEBUNKING OF SOME OF THE BIGGEST LIES ABOUT TRUMP FROM DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLETS SO FAR IN HIS SECOND TERM. More HERE. And HERE.
PATIENTS FIRST GROUP SIDES WITH ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. WHILE DEMOCRATS SIDE WITH BIG PHARMA.
NEW YORK MAGAZINE EXPOSED FOR CROPPING PHOTO TO PRETEND NO BLACK PEOPLE WERE AT TRUMP EVENT.
FURTHER FALLOUT FROM THE DISGUSTING BISHOP AND HER USE OF A RELIGIOUS SERVICE AS HER PERSONAL SOAPBOX. Democrats gutlessly love to hijack situations where they have a captive audience to lecture people they disagree with. Usually it’s funerals, but this time it was the inaugural prayer address. They pollute everything with their deceptive and divisive political whining.
DEMOCRATS TRY BLAMING TRUMP FOR AIR COLLISION EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE BEEN DELAYING THE CONFIRMATION OF HIS FAA NOMINEE JUST TO PLAY POLITICAL GAMES. More HERE. And HERE. Trump has only been in office again for 11 days and Democrats haven’t even let a new FAA head be confirmed, so rational people know this is not Trump’s fault.
EVEN THE NEW YORK TIMES POINTS OUT THAT CONGRESS WAS WARNED ABOUT THE AIR TRAFFIC OVER DC LONG BEFORE TRUMP WAS REELECTED IN NOVEMBER. Continue reading
WILDSIDE (1985) – After The Wild Wild West, The Barbary Coast and Bearcats but before The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. came this short-lived series about a secret crime-fighting group in the 1880s American West.
The group undertakes special missions for the governor and is based in Wildside, CA where they operate under the name “the Wildside Chamber of Commerce.” That’s not just a code name for their elite unit, though. Each member is a former outlaw who went straight before it was too late and all run legitimate businesses in Wildside. When they go on missions their cover story is that they are going off on a hunting party for a few days.
THE CAST:
HOWARD ROLLINS portrayed Bannister Sparks, who had been a demolitions man as an outlaw and retained that expertise as a crime-fighting operative.
Sparks ran a mercantile emporium which, in the kind of cutesy anachronistic humor that Brisco County, Jr. would later thrive on, was like a proto-shopping center of the future.
Bannister was the brains and de facto leader of the team.
WILLIAM SMITH played Brodie Hollister, gunfighter extraordinaire. Hollister breeds and trains horses.
William Smith hadn’t been in a role like this since his days playing a Texas Ranger Special Agent on the old western series Laredo.
On that old series his teammates were Peter Brown, Neville Brand and Philip Carey. Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television, FRONTIERADO
MABEL NORMAND – Born Amabel Ethelreid Normand on November 9th, 1893 in New York, this silent film comedienne blazed trails for countless subsequent actresses as well as female directors and screenwriters. Like so many silent film stars Normand is largely neglected today except for my fellow silent movie geeks and I.
Though known as a comic genius, Mabel’s big break came from a role in an 18-minute dramatic short titled Her Awakening (1911). Her performance caught the eye of up-and-coming film giant Mack Sennett, who hired her for his comedies. The two started a romantic relationship embellished decades later in the Broadway musical Mack & Mabel (1974).
A SELECTION OF MABEL NORMAND FILMS (1910-1915) – During her career, Normand starred in over 220 films, so I’m dividing her movies into time periods.
INDISCRETION OF BETTY (1910) – Mabel had her first starring role in this short drama but had appeared in an unknown number of previous films in smaller roles. Mabel played Betty, the wife in the marriage of a social-climbing couple.
Her husband’s income does not yet support the airs they try to put on, leading to some bitter lessons for the pair about life and marital finances.
HER AWAKENING (1911) – The above-mentioned short in which Mabel caught the eye of Mack Sennett, who then signed her for comedy collaborations. In this short drama, Normand played a young lady trying to snare a successful husband.
She is ashamed of her poor home and her elderly, handicapped mother and prevents her beaus from meeting the mother. The situation results in the tragic death of her mother.
THROUGH HIS WIFE’S PICTURE (1911) – Mabel Normand’s first film short with Mack Sennett. He directed and had a supporting role in this 9-minute comedy about a misunderstanding that threatens a marriage.
Mabel as the wife attends a costume party where she thinks she will catch her loyal husband trying to start an affair with another woman. The costumed pirate she mistakenly thinks is her husband is actually an unmarried friend of the husband. The “pirate’s” flirtatious conduct toward a young lady makes Normand furious. Continue reading
Filed under opinion
THE MAN IN THE BLACK CLOAK (1886) by P.T. Raymond (Francis W Doughty). Before Batman there was the Shadow. Before the Shadow there was Judex. And before Judex there was the Man in the Black Cloak, or simply the Black Cloak as I’ll call him for short. And ironically, four years before The Man in the Black Cloak was published there was simply The Man in Black, a story I will examine another time.
Our present tale first appeared in serialized form in Boys of New York in July and August of 1886. The title figure is a neglected forerunner of dark-attired vigilantes like Judex and the Shadow, plus his paranormal abilities mark him as a very early proto-superhero.
I need to start right at the top with a certain amount of spoilers to make it clear the kind of place the Black Cloak should occupy when tracing early influences on Pulps and superhero stories.
Our title character at first appears to be a somewhat sinister figure as he effortlessly makes his furtive way around 1880s New York City, often glimpsed by young salesman Bob Leeming. Bob is increasingly disturbed, both by the way this man follows him around and by the man’s bright, burning eyes and chalky-white complexion, glimpsed just above his pulled-up coat collar and bandit kerchief. Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Science Fiction, opinion
It’s time for another current events roundup, courtesy of Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.
*** As usual with developing, complex situations, I will cover what is happening at the border between Mexican drug cartels and the U.S. Border Patrol in a few days when the inevitable information fog clears.
ORANGE COUNTY DEMOCRAT TREASURY OFFICIAL ARRESTED ON CHILD PORN CHARGES AND WITH TRYING TO MEET UP WITH A NINE-YEAR-OLD. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?
“INTELLIGENCE” (LMAO) OFFICER LISA YATES FORGETS TO REMOVE HER NAME FROM A POST SHE SENT OUT TO COLLEAGUES COACHING THEM ON HOW TO SABOTAGE PRESIDENT TRUMP “AND LEAVE NO TRACE”. Hey, Lisa, accidentally leaving your name on the post ruins that whole “leave no trace” aspect of your treasonous instructions. Deep State functionaries still hate President Trump and his efforts to reform America’s hopelessly corrupt intelligence agencies.
FOR DEMOCRATS WHO TRY MINIMIZING THE NATURE OF YATES’ ACTIONS, HERE’S A REMINDER THAT THE REASON THE CIVIL SERVICE REPLACED THE DEMOCRATS’ FORMER SPOILS SYSTEM WAS TO PREVENT NAKEDLY PARTISAN ACTIVITIES BY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. In other words, it was meant to prevent the kinds of things that Deep State functionaries like this just admitted to doing.
AMONG CINDY CALLAND’S POINTS ABOUT HOW DAMAGING IS YATES’ TREACHERY: “Civil servants are supposed to be apolitical. Their job is to implement the policy of the executive. Due to their apolitical nature, they are shielded by the firing and hiring that occurs with political appointees for each new administration.”
Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at a sports team name that is far outside the overused Eagles, Tigers, Bulldogs and Wildcats.
UNIVERSITY OF THE BAHAMAS Continue reading
Filed under Cool names and cool logos
Democrat Party
America’s Democrats persist in pretending that they are THE moral models for the rest of us, so here’s a blog post from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog “raising awareness” (to use one of the Democrats’ favorite nauseating cliches) about some of their loathsome conduct.
*** Last week Democrats resumed their grotesque peddling of cheap exploitation via sad stories from illegal immigrants and their devotees. Let’s remember one of their most disgusting displays of hypocrisy on this sort of thing:
Previously the perpetual children who call themselves Democrats tried to make cheap political capital out of a supposed note that the child of an illegal immigrant addressed to their parents. The child (if they actually wrote the note) was sad about the possibility of immigration authorities catching the family and sending them home. Democrats acted like this letter was proof of how supposedly “evil” it is for countries to have immigration laws.
To counter that here’s a letter written to Heaven by the child of a law enforcement officer killed by an illegal immigrant. It’s just as sad, Democrats. Do you immature drama queens STILL think that heart-breaking letters written by children should form the basis of a country’s immigration policy? Or have you decided to finally grow up?
Oh, I know, Democrats. Only touching letters that further your political goals count. If the letter below helped push your politics the letter and the little girl who wrote it would be world-famous.
Below is that letter written by a little girl whose father will never be coming home because of an illegal immigrant. Try to remember, Democrats, emotion can cut both ways. Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association)
“THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE” – The HOUGHTON UNIVERSITY HIGHLANDERS welcomed the KEUKA COLLEGE WOLVES. A frenzied opening Half ended with the Highlanders on top 48-41. During the 2nd Half the Wolves bit into that lead but fell short as Houghton University held on for an 84-81 victory. Jajuan Preaster and Christian Sage led the Highlanders with 17 points each.
DOUSING D.C. – The ROBERTS WESLEYAN COLLEGE REDHAWKS doused some cold water on their hosts the UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FIREBIRDS. The Firebirds held a 37-34 edge at Halftime but the Redhawks mounted a comeback after the break. Roberts Wesleyan won 77-70. Malik Brooks led the Redhawks with 29 points. Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at some of India’s characters.
FAULADI (Ironclad)
Secret Identity: None
Debuted: 1979
Origin: Fauladi was an android created by an Indian scientist named Dr. John (no relation to the rock singer, of course). The doctor crafted Fauladi with the capacity for human emotions and he first unleashed him publicly to fight an alien invasion.
Powers: This hero possesses greater than human strength, can fly on Earth and in space, and can shoot energy beams from his hands. Fauladi’s android body can withstand space travel. His series ran for over 75 issues and was India’s most popular during the 1980s.
KANGA
Secret Identity: Aadhi
Debuted: 1980s
Origin: Kanga came from an enchanted realm in the clouds where bird-beings could descend to the Earth and take human form. Becoming stranded on Earth, Kanga of the crow-people took to using her powers to battle the forces of evil. Her human friends who took her in gave her the alias Aadhi.
Powers: This superheroine was stronger than human men and could fly via the wings on her back. She was incredibly agile and was fierce in battle. Her fingernails and toenails could be used like talons in a fight. Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
Balladeer's Blog 