Author Archives: balladeer

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About balladeer

I am passionately interested in college sports, ancient Greek comedies, bad/weird movies, mythology, the American Revolution, Puck Magazine, World War I, U.S. Presidential history, silent movies, the English Civil War, epic, lyric and comic poetry, U.S. Supreme Court history, the Revolutions of 1848, the Philippine War and old pulp heroes like The Moon Man, Pilot G8, Silver John and The Rio Kid.

NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOON ROUNDUP: OCTOBER 1st

From Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog:

kamala or trained seal ICE REPORT REVEALS THAT KAMALA HARRIS HAS LET MORE THAN 425,000 DANGEROUS CRIMINAL ALIENS LOOSE IN THE U.S. More HERE. Democrats covering it up HERE. Once again, anti-Trump fools claimed he was “wildly exaggerating” but as usual he was proven right. And those 425,000 are just the ones we know about.

MOTHERS WHO LOST CHILDREN TO FURTHER CRIMES BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BLAST KAMALA HARRIS FOR THEIR DEATHS AND HER CALLOUS REFUSAL TO MEET WITH THEM.

kamala cacklingKAMALA HARRIS FURTHER BLASTED ON HER “AWOL” “PITIFUL” RESPONSE TO HURRICANE HELENE. More HERE. This is Kamala’s “Hurricane Katrina” equivalent.

NOT LONG AFTER HURRICANE HELENE DEVASTATED ALL IN ITS PATH, CALLOUS KAMALA HARRIS WAS PARTYING WITH CELEBRITY CRONIES. Does Harris have a trace of humanity in her?

MATT TAIBBI WITH A BRILLIANT DEFENSE OF FREE SPEECH.

trump humanitarianPRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, AS HE DID IN EAST PALESTINE, OHIO A WHILE BACK, IS PERSONALLY PROVIDING WATER, EQUIPMENT, FUEL AND OTHER EMERGENCY SUPPLIES TO HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS. This is what a leader does. More HERE. And HERE. And HERE.

VICIOUS JOE BIDEN SNAPS AT A REPORTER WHO ASKS ABOUT HIS AND KAMALA’S FAILED RESPONSE TO HURRICANE HELENE. More HERE. And HERE.

OHIO CONGRESSMEN STILL BEGGING KAMALA AND JOE FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR THE HAITIAN IMMIGRANT SITUATION IN SPRINGFIELD. But hey, giving such emergency funding would be admitting that Trump was right about the conditions in Springfield, OH. That’s all Democrats care about.

kamala ashamedHARRIS-BIDEN REGIME WEAKNESS ABROAD PROMPTS ANOTHER HOUTHI ATTACK ON U.S. NAVY IN THE RED SEA.

TIM WALZ’S MINNEAPOLIS SWEARS IN ITS FIRST NON-CITIZEN, RESIDENT ALIEN POLICE OFFICER. Democrats will be bringing non-citizen police officers to a location near you before you know it!

MEANWHILE, THE HARRIS-BIDEN DOJ SUES ALABAMA FOR TRYING TO REMOVE NON-CITIZENS FROM THE VOTING ROLLS. Yet Democrats pretend that non-citizen voting doesn’t happen. Why are they on the voting rolls, then? And part of the DOJ’s reasoning is that IT’S TOO CLOSE TO THE NOVEMBER ELECTION! Yeah, Democrats. Tell us again that you’re not accommodating non-citizen voting. Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

A NOVA CALIFORNIA aka A NEW CALIFORNIA (1921) HALLOWEEN MONTH IS UNDERWAY!

The Halloween Season has rolled around once again! For newcomers to Balladeer’s Blog let me point out that I post about more than just horror topics in October. I also cover my usual recurring subjects but throw in reviews of neglected, centuries old novels and short stories from around the world in a Gothic Horror equivalent of my Ancient Science Fiction blog posts. I also review horror films throughout the month. 

a nova california againA NOVA CALIFORNIA (1921) – This short horror story from Brazil was written by Lima Barreto. The tale is set in a fictional Brazilian town called Tubiacango after the river along whose banks it stood. Tubiacango’s population was roughly 4,000.

The tranquil town had never known much in the way of excitement or scandal outside of a few crimes of passion and some political violence committed by the incumbent political party.

a nova californiaNOTE: Something I’ve been struck by as I read more and more Brazilian literature is how even the smallest towns could boast an international population. There will be native Brazilians, newly arrived Portuguese, white Europeans, and – as the literature itself points out – every shade of dark colored people from all over the world.

The end of the tranquility came with the arrival of a wealthy and mysterious man who practiced a form of pharmaceutical science beyond the understanding of Tubiacango’s resident pharmacists, physicians and schoolteachers. Continue reading

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WNBA: SEMIFINAL SERIES UNDER WAY

The Best of Five semifinal series tipped off in the WNBA playoffs yesterday. 

SUN VS LYNX: GAME ONE – The CONNECTICUT SUN surprised their hosts the MINNESOTA LYNX in Game One of this semifinal series.

The Sun seized the initiative early, leading Minnesota 23-16 in the 1st Quarter before the Lynx cut that to a 42-38 deficit for themselves by Halftime. In the 3rd Quarter Minnesota went on top 62-57 only to see Connecticut roar from behind for a 73-70 victory. Marina Mabrey led the Sun with 20 points, while two of her teammates logged Double Doubles – Alyssa Thomas with 17 points & 10 rebounds, and DeWanna Bonner with 10 points & 11 rebounds. Continue reading

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NOVEMBER 2022: A LOOK BACK

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

biden beriaBANANA REPUBLIC CULTURE. The Harris-Biden Regime had already transformed the U.S. into a Banana Republic by 2022.

WASHINGTON POST REPORTS THAT THE FBI FOUND NO NUCLEAR SECRETS OR OTHER SUCH ITEMS IN THE MAR-A-LAGO RAID. But you’ll notice they waited until AFTER the midterm elections last week to report this. Another “the walls are closing in on Trump” farce flops. AND ANTI-TRUMP IMBECILES STILL BELIEVE ANY WILD TRUMP ACCUSATIONS THAT COME ALONG.

EVEN DEMOCRATS FORCED TO ADMIT THAT TRUMP HAD NO NUCLEAR DOCUMENTS AT MAR-A-LAGO AND NO “NEFARIOUS EFFORT BY TRUMP TO LEVERAGE, SELL OR USE GOVERNMENT SECRETS.”

NANCY PELOSI SCANDALS AND DEMOCRAT CELEBRITY POMPOSITY.

BIDEN HATEMONGERS AGAIN, SAYING THAT QUESTIONING ELECTION RESULTS IS ONLY OKAY WHEN DEMOCRATS DO IT AND IT’S “DANGEROUS” WHEN OTHERS DO IT. As an Independent Voter I don’t hesitate to point out that Republican George W. Bush was “selected, not elected” and Democrats are fine with that. But when I point out that Democrat Joe Biden was “selected, not elected” Democrats fall to pieces.

        And as I’ve been pointing out for years, Democrats miraculously discover supposedly “uncounted” votes for their candidates on a regular basis. This is nothing new.

democrat vote fraud cartoonMARICOPA COUNTY HOLDS AMERICA HOSTAGE AGAIN – Which locale will hold up election results for at least a week THIS time around while Democrats conveniently find a bunch of “uncounted” votes for their candidates? Also – MY LOOK AT VOTE COUNTING DELAYS.

MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION BLOG POST FOR MY IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS FROM 2022. Not trying to spam anybody, I just highly recommend reading this one. 

BAD MOVIE REVIEW: AN AMERICAN HIPPIE IN ISRAEL (1972) – My review trashing this turkey for Thanksgiving.

hillary-clinton-and-george-sorosTHE CLUELESS BUFFOONS WHO RUN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY STOOD BY AND REFUSED TO HELP THEIR CONSTITUENTS OPPOSE THE LOSS OF EIGHTEEN SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO STATIONS. Democrats are still crushing the useless Republican establishment in the Media Arms Race. Eighteen more stations broadcasting Democrat talking points through 2024 and beyond. AND HERE IN 2024 EVEN MORE MEDIA OUTLETS IN THE U.S. ARE BEING TAKEN BY GEORGE SOROS AND COMPANY WHILE REPUBLICANS DO NOTHING. One side wants it more. Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEPTEMBER 29th

HEADLINES

CAMPBELLSVILLE OVER D2 – In this game the NAIA’s CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY TIGERS welcomed NCAA Division Two’s ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY LAKERS. The Tigers kept the higher division team off the scoreboard until the 4th Quarter while putting up points themselves all the way. The final score in this Upset was Campbellsville University 24  Lakers 8.

BOBCATS CONQUER DIVISION ONE – Meanwhile, NCAA Division Two’s FROSTBURG STATE BOBCATS took it on the road against the NCAA Division One MERCYHURST UNIVERSITY LAKERS. The Bobcats put Mercyhurst on Upset Alert by Halftime with their 17-12 lead. From there Frostburg State had to hold on by their fingertips for a 25-24 victory. Continue reading

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MAGGIE SMITH R.I.P.

maggie smith 1970sMaggie Smith (1934-2024) is no longer with us, unfortunately. To many fans, Smith embodied sophistication and withering wit. She and Sian Phillips were long among the elder stateswomen when it came to traditionally classy British actresses. 

Balladeer’s Blog hasn’t reviewed many of Maggie’s movies because of the oddball topics I cover, but here’s a brief look at Murder by Death, in which she co-starred. Continue reading

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IRON FIST AND SHANG-CHI – TOGETHER (1974-1976)

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog presents some of the 1970s crossover stories between Marvel’s Iron Fist and Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu.

THE DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU SPECIAL Vol 1 #1 (June 1974)

Title: The Master Plan of Fu Manchu

Villain: Fu Manchu

NOTE: This was back when Marvel Comics had licensed the rights to do comic book stories about Sax Rohmer’s iconic villain Fu Manchu and his pursuer Sir Denis Nayland-Smith. Marvel combined their Fu Manchu stories with the 1970s Kung Fu craze by having Shang-Chi the Master of Kung Fu be the son of Fu Manchu. He turned against his evil father.

          Years later, when Marvel no longer had the rights to use the Fu Manchu character they retconned things so that Shang-Chi’s father was really Iron Man’s archenemy the Mandarin.

Synopsis: Storywise, this tale features three separate sections as Iron Fist, the Sons of the Tiger and Shang-Chi the Master of Kung Fu go up against Fu Manchu in three separate stages of his “master plan.” 

Iron Fist is the hero of the opening chapter. He is walking the late-night streets of New York City when a cry for help prompts him to investigate an alleyway he was passing. He discovers a dying Chinese representative from the U.N. He escaped when Fu Manchu had his men abduct him and five other such Chinese representatives. The man dies from the wounds he suffered in his escape after telling Danny to save the others. Continue reading

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BAD MOVIES: SCOTT BRADY TO THE RESCUE

Everyman Scott Brady

Everyman Scott Brady

You can have your Time Lord from Gallifrey or your reporter from INS. When it comes to REAL action against goofy monsters the one and only Scott Brady comes on like Jim Dandy to the rescue. The Pudgy One was always a welcome sight in B-movies from decades ago. Here are four of his most enjoyably bad outings.

Destination Inner SpaceDESTINATION INNER SPACE (1966) – In a true rarity Scott Brady got to be the less-than- hunky action lead in this film! THE Sheree North and The Green Hornet‘s Wende Wagner were along for the ride in this flick that plays like an episode from Jon Pertwee’s Doctor Who era recast with Americans.

Scott Brady portrays Commander Wayne, a courageous Naval Officer who might as well be working for UNIT as he saves the world from a potential invasion by a group of sub-aquatic extraterrestrials. The monsters are as ridiculous as the dialogue in this fair-to- middling bad movie gem. Continue reading

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SEPTEMBER 25th PLAYOFF RESULTS IN THE WNBA

The opening round came to a close last night.

THE SUN ADVANCE – The CONNECTICUT SUN played host to the INDIANA FEVER in this game.

By Halftime the Sun were out in front of Indiana by a score of 41-34. That turned into a 61-52 advantage to end the 3rd Quarter, and ultimately an 87-81 triumph for Connecticut. The Sun win the series 2 games to none and advance to the next round. Alyssa Thomas led the way for Connecticut with her Double Double of 19 points and 13 assists. Continue reading

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DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLET CNN FORCED TO APOLOGIZE FOR USING FAKE IMAGERY OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, PLUS MORE

From Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog:

PURE PROPAGANDA: CNN USES DIGITALLY ALTERED IMAGE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP AND LAURA LOOMER. More about the smear HERE. CNN apologizes for the “error” and issues a retraction. So, how many more such “errors” tying Trump to various figures will the Democrats at CNN use between now and election day?

           Plus, as ignorant, uninformed and emotionally unstable as anti-Trump loons are, they’d probably believe fake footage of Trump robbing a bank or shooting a puppy dog. 

POLL: DEMOCRAT PARTY TOPS THE LIST OF AMERICA’S BIGGEST ENEMIES AT PRESENT. SERIOUSLY. The question was “Who is the biggest enemy America currently faces, Iran, China, Russia, the Democrat party, the Republican party, or domestic extremists?” The respondents were likely voters from Georgia and Pennsylvania.

           Hey, it’s no secret, so I guess none of us should be surprised that people correctly view the Democrats that way. CALL THEM WHAT THEY ARE – DEMOCRATS.

KAMALA HARRIS’ SKYROCKETING FOOD PRICES CRUSHING THE WORKING CLASS AND THE POOR.

THE LATEST INFORMATION IN NANCY PELOSI’S AND HER HUSBAND’S INSIDER TRADING SCANDAL. Privileged white one percenter Democrats still in the news. Continue reading

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