Monthly Archives: October 2025

OCTOBER FIFTEENTH NEWS ROUNDUP

Here’s a mid-week current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.

EGYPT AWARDS PRESIDENT TRUMP THEIR HIGHEST HONOR – THE ORDER OF THE NILE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP AND MIDDLE EASTERN LEADERS SIGN HISTORIC AGREEMENT DURING EGYPTIAN SUMMIT.

DEMOCRATS CALLED OUT FOR ANOTHER HOT-TUB LUXURY PARTY TO CELEBRATE THEIR ONGOING SHUTDOWN. Another “let them eat cake” moment from the Democrats to the rest of the country.

MORE FOOTAGE OF FREED HAMAS HOSTAGES REUNITED WITH THEIR LOVED ONES.

ANOTHER REMINDER THAT IF NOT FOR JOE BIDEN ILLEGALLY THROWING OPEN OUR SOUTHERN BORDER THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR MASS DEPORTATIONS.   

DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR PRITZKER EXPOSED FOR FILMING ONE OF HIS “CHICAGO IS SAFE AND DOESN’T NEED ICE” VIDEOS IN AN AREA AFTER ICE HAD MADE IT SAFE WITH THEIR ROUNDUP OF ILLEGALS.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL “EDUCATOR” ARRESTED FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING A TEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?

PRESIDENT TRUMP AWARDS POSTHUMOUS PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO FREE SPEECH MARTYR CHARLIE KIRK.

FORMER HOSTAGE OF HAMAS STATES THAT HAMAS WAS SCARED OF TRUMP AND WANTED KAMALA HARRIS TO WIN THE 2024 ELECTION Continue reading

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ANCIENT GREEK COMEDIES: CRATES

Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at the surviving fragments of an ancient Greek comedian, in this case Crates.

CratesCRATES – Crates’ career spanned from approximately the 450s B.C. to the 430s B.C. We have fragments from nine or ten comedies from an unknown total output. From other sources we know that comedies as stage productions began sometime around 500 B.C. or earlier so Crates came fairly early to the artform.

Crates was credited with being the first Athenian comic poet (the comedies were written in verse and included songs) to introduce drunken characters, still a comic staple over 2,400 years later. Aristotle himself credited Crates as being the first to abandon the “glorified comic monologues” approach of the oldest comedies and introducing fleshed-out plots and storylines.

Be that as it may, there is still a great deal of academic arguing over whether or not Crates’ work simply reflected the influence of Epicharmus, who may well have been the TRUE innovator.

Crates was supposedly an actor before he began writing comedies (But I’m sure he really wanted to direct. – rimshot -) and his brother was Epilycus, one of the Epic Poets. Eusebius’ Chronicles stated that Crates was a well-known comedian by 451 B.C. and Demetrius Lacon in his work On Poetry indicates that Crates may have acted in some of Aeschylus’ tragedies before switching genres. 

KNOWN WORKS 

NeighborsNEIGHBORS – We do not have even a hypothetical year for this work, unfortunately. Since titles sometimes referred to the all-important Chorus of a Greek comedy there is speculation that the chorus members were “Neighbors” of some sort (Duh!) but nothing is known about the plot.

 Athenaeus argued that Crates’ use of a drunken character in this comedy PRE-DATED Epicharmus’ use of stage drunks, so apparently even back in ancient times this was being debated.    Continue reading

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THE SCARECROW (1972) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION HALLOWEEN TALE

THE SCARECROW (1972) – Gene Wilder, Blythe Danner, Nina Foch, Pete Duel and Will Geer starred in this Hollywood Television Theatre production that first aired January 10th, 1972. Long time readers of Balladeer’s Blog may recall my remarks on previous Halloweens about how underused I feel scarecrows still are in Halloween movies. 

The Scarecrow, from the 1908 play by Percy MacKaye, was based on Feathertop aka Lord Feathertop, the 1852 short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The tale deals with a witch who brings a scarecrow to life to do her bidding. In the past I’ve reviewed silent film versions of Feathertop and pointed to it as an overlooked scarecrow tale.   

Percy MacKaye stretched the story out and altered some of the themes, so The Scarecrow is an adaptation of Feathertop, not a faithful dramatization of it. Gene Wilder portrays the scarecrow.

Nina Foch plays the witch Goody Rickby (Mother Rigby in the short story). She despises Will Geer’s character, the supposedly “respectable” Justice Gilead Merton (Hawthorne’s Judge Gookin).

Twenty years earlier, Goody Rickby had a fling with Justice Merton and even bore his son, who died as an infant. (In Feathertop the affair and child outside of marriage are hinted at rather than stated outright.) Continue reading

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EERIE TALES (1919) SILENT HORROR FILM

HALLOWEEN MONTH CONTINUES. 

EERIE TALES (1919) – Conrad “Major Strasser from Casablanca” Veidt is, in my opinion, the most neglected figure from silent horror films. In this German work Veidt co-stars with Reinhold Schunzel and Anita Berber. The three portray various characters throughout the film.

In recurring bits, the trio play Death (Veidt), the Devil (Schunzel) and the Strumpet (Berber), figures who step out of the paintings in an antique book shop and provide the wraparound segment to the anthology of horror tales that follows. Continue reading

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FIRST HOSTAGES FREED THANKS TO TRUMP, PLUS OCTOBER THIRTEENTH NEWS ROUNDUP

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog serves up another current events roundup from a world where you’d think the pro-Hamas fools who’ve been pretending that Israel was inflicting a genocide in Gaza would be thrilled with the ceasefire.

But let’s be honest – they knew there was no genocide going on, they just wanted as many dead Israelis as possible and to harass Jews living in western countries using Gaza as their excuse for it.

TRIUMPHANT PRESIDENT TRUMP ARRIVES IN ISRAEL AS CROWDS REJOICE. Red Cross confirms release of first hostages. I’m guessing anti-Trump fascists will now move to claiming Trump is the Anti-Christ given all the praise he’s gotten for spreading peace, especially in the Middle East. 

TRUMP THE PEACE PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS THE KNESSET. (For uninformed Trump-haters that’s Israel’s parliament.)

NETANYAHU: A NEW PATH BEGINS.

TRUMP GETS ASTRAZENECA TO JOIN PFIZER IN MONUMENTALLY LOWERING PRICES FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. More HERE. And HERE. Have I mentioned lately that Trump is the greatest president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime?

DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR MURPHY OF NEW JERSEY GOES MISSING. HIS LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR DECLARED A WEATHER EMERGENCY OVER THE ATLANTIC STORM.

SCHUMER SHUTDOWN CONTINUES TO HARM INNOCENT PEOPLE. All just so Democrats can keep pushing free healthcare for illegal immigrants. 

DEMOCRAT “SANCTUARY STATE” CALIFORNIA IGNORED RETAINER AND RELEASED REPEAT CRIMINAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TO THWART ICE. THE ILLEGAL PROCEEDED TO KILL SIX PEOPLE. No sanctuary for the victims under Democrat rule, just for the perpetrators.

ILLINOIS TEACHER ARRESTED FOR GROOMING AND SHARING EXPLICIT PICS. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?

TRUMP-HATERS STILL OUTRAGED THAT NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER MACHADO DEDICATED THE PRIZE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HER PEOPLE. Continue reading

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THE WEREWOLF (1896) HALLOWEEN STORY OF A FEMALE LYCANTHROPE

WerewolfTHE WERE-WOLF (1896) – By Clemence Annie Housman. Halloween month continues at Balladeer’s Blog! This neglected story features a female author writing about a FEMALE WEREWOLF so that makes it a bit special right there.

The Were-Wolf is set in 1890s Denmark. Amidst a white-furred werewolf’s attacks plaguing the countryside a Danish family finds itself being charmed by a sultry, seductive woman who calls herself White Fell.

The woman travels alone by night so is obviously the werewolf at large. Unfortunately, her potent beauty allays suspicion and even pits brothers Sweyn and Christian against each other.   Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS: OCTOBER 12th

HEADLINES

TOPPLING NUMBER FOUR – In NCAA Division 2, the number 15 CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY WILDCATS visited the 4th ranked UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT THE PERMIAN BASIN FALCONS. The Falcons were on top 7-3 come Halftime and 14-10 to end the 3rd Quarter. In the 4th, the Wildcats came from behind for a 27-14 Upset victory.

NUMBER EIGHT TAKES A FALL – Staying in D2 for a moment, the NORTHERN STATE WOLVES played host to the country’s number 8 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AT DULUTH BULLDOGS. A 10-7 1st Quarter edge for the Wolves became 20-10 by the midpoint. After the break, the Bulldogs rallied but fell short as Northern State held on tight in a 34-31 triumph.

ANOTHER NUMBER EIGHT FOLLOWS – Over in the NAIA, the 14th ranked CARROLL COLLEGE FIGHTING SAINTS traveled to face the number 8 team in the nation – the UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA-WESTERN BULLDOGS. At the Half, the Fighting Saints put UMW on Upset Alert with their 28-14 advantage. From there CC held on to win the game 42-34. Continue reading

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FLASHBACK: ANOTHER FEMALE VOTER FED UP WITH THE DEMOCRATS

FROM NOVEMBER 13th, 2018 – 

Allie StuckeyThe Democrats seem determined to keep fueling the #WALKAWAY movement. I originally estimated it would take close to a decade at least for #WALKAWAY to have real impact but the Democrats may make it happen sooner since they refuse to tamp down their pomposity toward voters they think they OWN.

This time around it’s not African American voters that Democrats are talking down to with a threatening undertone. This blog post is about the Democrats’ condescension and  hate-mongering toward female voters. Allie Stuckey was having none of it.

The link to the full article is below but first some excerpts:

“The irony is, of course, rich. Leftist feminists, long-asserting the strength and independence of women, now argue that some women are so weak that they need to depend on liberals to tell them how to vote. 

“Don’t worry, though. The Women’s March is here to help us out: “There’s a lot of work to do, white women. A lot of learning. A lot of growing. We want to do it with you.”

“Phew! For a second there I thought we were going to have to continue navigating these scary political waters on our own. I’m so relieved to know that, instead of thinking for ourselves, we’ll have obscure liberal Twitter activists and Linda Sarsour guiding us.”

women for trump 2“For as much as feminists say they hate the patriarchy, they do a darn good job of patronizing women with whom they disagree. They are demeaning, self-righteous and condescending. They deemed women who supported Kavanaugh “gender traitors.” They called Susan Collins and other senators who voted “yes” on the now-justice “rape apologists.” They claimed women who voted for Trump did so because of “internal misogyny.”

“… feminists fancy themselves rebellious disruptors, but it’s a fantasy. They’re mainstream, their platform is tired, their hypocrisy is predictable and their constant bullying of women on the other side of the aisle is nauseatingly unattractive.” Continue reading

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HACK/SLASH: THE EARLY STORIES OF THIS HALLOWEEN HEROINE

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at Cassie Hack, the horror superheroine who battles a long line of slashers as stylishly as Buffy fought vampires.

In Hack/ Slash stories, slashers are their own breed of monsters just like werewolves, vampires, etc. Tim Seeley created the series, which has been published by various indie outfits over the years.  

HACK/ SLASH Vol 1 #1 (Apr 2004)

Title: Euthanized

Villain: Bobby Brunswick

Synopsis: This very first appearance of Cassie Hack starts off with a few-page synopsis of her origin story. In school, Cassie was often bullied by the other students. This caused her mother to snap and become a slasher called the Lunch Lady, who took to carving up the teens who had bullied Cassie and mixing their remains in with food at the school cafeteria. Our heroine was forced to take action, saving her mother’s last victim. The Lunch Lady killed herself but rose again as a slasher. This time Cassie had to destroy her personally.

Readers are now dropped into the main story, set years later when Cassie Hack has established herself as a roving heroine who battles living and undead slashers alongside her African American sidekick – the hulking, gasmask-wearing Vlad. He views Cassie like a daughter and wields meat cleavers and butcher’s knives in battle.

In this adventure, Cassie and Vlad clashed with Bobby Brunswick, a veterinary assistant killed by the boyfriend of the female vet he worked for. Bobby came back from the dead for revenge and also preyed on the city with the army of dead animals that he controlled. Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS: OCT 10th

NCAA DIVISION TWO

NUMBER TWO ROLLS – The 2nd ranked team in NCAA Division 2 football – the HARDING UNIVERSITY BISON – traveled to face the SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE SAVAGE STORM. A 14-0 1st Quarter lead for the Bison became 21-7 by Halftime. Harding U. shut out the Savage Storm from there as they won the game by a final score of 35-7.

NJCAA

KNOCKING OFF NUMBER NINE – Last night the JONES COLLEGE BOBCATS played host to the nation’s 9th ranked HINDS COLLEGE EAGLES. A 7-7 tie in the opening Quarter morphed into a 24-14 Bobcats advantage at the Half. After the break, the two teams wound up exchanging Touchdowns in a 31-21 Upset victory for Jones College. Continue reading

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