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.

3 LABOR DAY MOVIES

The Labor Day Holiday is taking on greater significance the more that the white collar criminals called Democrats and Republicans sell out the working class. Bought and paid for office-holders from both political parties are content to screw over the working class.

MatewanMATEWAN (1987) – This John Sayles film examines the 1920 Matewan Massacre in the West Virginia coal fields. The workers were attempting to form a union and the owners – the kind of people that the one percenters’ beloved New York Times has proclaimed to be “the conscience of the country” used hired thugs to harass – and even kill – the laborers.

On top of that the owners planned to bring in replacement workers who would work for less money and would not expect “luxuries” like worker safety measures and the like.

It’s like today as DemCorp and RepubCorp embrace Corporate Fascism by helping bloated rich pigs usher unlimited numbers of illegal immigrants into countries around the world in order to bring in people who will work for lower wages and without “luxuries” like sick leave and such.    

Today’s rich pigs have added a new wrinkle: pretending to be showing “compassion” and lecturing the working class and the poor about the glories of a borderless society. Ultimately this will even overload Social Programs to the point where they all collapse from lack of funding.

AN IMPORTANT REASON FOR HAVING BORDERS IS PRECISELY BECAUSE OF THE LONG-HELD PRINCIPLE THAT A COUNTRY CAN HAVE SOCIAL PROGRAMS OR OPEN BORDERS BUT NOT BOTH. Borders also help in disease control and crime control, but the one percenters and bloated rich pigs never have to worry about either. Continue reading

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Filed under Neglected History

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM AUGUST 31st

HEADLINES

Iowa Central TritonsNUMBER TWO TAKES A FALL – In the NJCAA the 14th ranked IOWA CENTRAL COLLEGE TRITONS welcomed the number 2 team in the nation – the IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS. The Tritons put the Reivers on Upset Alert with a 12-10 1st Quarter edge which became a tighter 18-17 lead at Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with Iowa Central College on top 21-17 before they won it 28-26 from there. The NJCAA’s number 1 East Mississippi College lost Thursday night.

Morningside MustangsONE AND TWO ROLL – Meanwhile, up in the NAIA, the top ranked defending champions – the MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS – annihilated the visiting UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IL) FIGHTING SAINTS to the tune of EIGHTY to NOTHING    ###    And the number 2 BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS eviscerated their hosts the GRACELAND UNIVERSITY YELLOW JACKETS 72-7.

Kansas Wesleyan helmet NEWCELEBRATING FOOTBALL – Also in the NAIA the 4th ranked KANSAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY COYOTES welcomed the TEXAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY RAMS for their season-opening event called Celebrating Football. The Coyotes wound up doing all the celebrating, doubling up on the Rams for a 48-24 triumph. Continue reading

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Filed under college football

ALTERNATIVES TO GOOGLE: STRIKING BACK AGAINST SILICON VALLEY TECHNO-FASCISTS

Mascot sword and pistolIt’s no secret that the Techno-Fascists of Silicon Valley are even worse than the old 19th Century Robber Barons.

Here is a terrific article that lays out the many, many alternatives to all Google products.

Click HERE

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Filed under opinion

JOE MAGARAC: NEGLECTED AMERICAN FOLKTALE

Joe MagaracLabor Day weekend is the appropriate time to post this look at neglected working class folk hero Joe Magarac. This figure was the Steel Mill equivalent of Paul Bunyan and John Henry.

Though mostly associated with Polish-American steel workers in Pittsburgh, PA the general figure of a literal “man of steel” helping and protecting his coworkers can be found from the East Coast through the American Midwest. Sometimes the figure is Croation or some other ethnicity instead of Polish. 

Written versions of Joe Magarac and/or similar steel worker tall tales seem to have started around 1930 or 1931. Oral legends about such figures – but not specifically Joe Magarac – have been dated as early as the 1890s.

Vintage advertisements from tattered old newspapers indicate that such Man of Steel imagery may have been used for the steel industry prior to World War One. This “Which came first, the chicken or the egg” dilemma for Joe Magarac and other Steel Men puts one in mind of the quandary surrounding Billiken lore.        

Joe Magarac statueAs a lame play on words since this is Labor Day season I’ll present Joe Magarac’s origin and then depict his tales as “Labors” like in The Labors of Hercules.

BIRTH – Joe Magarac supposedly sprang into existence from a mound of iron ore and – depending on the version – that mound was either in Pittsburgh or the Old Country. Magarac emerged from the melting mound fully grown and spoke broken English like so many of the other Polish steel workers. He was called into being by the urgent need to catch up on production since the current shift had fallen dangerously behind.

Joe was 7 or 8 feet tall, his flesh was like solid steel, his torso was as wide as a smoke-stack and his arms were as thick as railroad ties. His surname Magarac meant “mule” in the workhorse sense, referring to his stamina. Joe’s appetite was such that he carried his lunch in a washtub instead of a standard lunch box.

Magarac’s favorite leisure time activity was polka-dancing and halushkis were his favorite food.

THE LABORS OF JOE MAGARAC:   Continue reading

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Filed under Mythology, Superheroes

LITTLE SHOPPE OF MONSTERAMA – SEPTEMBER 27th-29th

Little Shoppe of Monsterama

September 27th-29th in Alpharetta, Georgia it’s the 6th edition of Monsterama. Guests will include cult figures Jane Merrow, Trina Parks, Jackie Joseph, Pauline Peart, Katie Carpenter, Ian Ogilvey and Mark Maddox.

Golden Age of MonsteramaRepresentatives from film, literature, television, gaming, comic books and the arts will be there.

There will be exhibits, autograph signings and contests being judged once again by figures from the Stan Winston School of Character Arts. And among the films being screened are the 1929 version of Mysterious Island plus Revenge of the Creature.

FOR MORE DETAILS Continue reading

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Filed under Bad and weird movies

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM AUGUST 29th

HEADLINES

Hinds College eagles good helmetNUMBER ONE GOES DOWN – In the NJCAA the HINDS COLLEGE EAGLES welcomed the top ranked, two-time defending champions – the EAST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE LIONS. A 13-10 lead for the Eagles in the opening Quarter remained unchanged at Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with the Lions on top 16-10 but Hinds College dominated the 4th, including a pick-six as they toppled Number One 24-16.

Coahoma College TigersAND NUMBER FOUR COMES TUMBLING AFTER – Meanwhile the COAHOMA COLLEGE TIGERS took on the visiting 4th ranked JONES COUNTY COLLEGE BOBCATS. The Tigers led 6-0 in the 1st before the Bobcats went up 7-6 at the Half. Coahoma College seized an 18-7 lead in the 3rd Quarter and won it by a final score of 18-10.  

Rocky Mountain CollegeKNOCKING OFF NUMBER NINE – Up in the NAIA the 23rd ranked ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE BATTLIN’ BEARS traveled to face the number 9 team in the nation – the DICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKS. The Battlin’ Bears defense kept the Blue Hawks off the scoreboard the entire 1st Half as a 3-0 Rocky Mountain College lead in the 1st Quarter became 10-0 at the break. That became a 20-7 advantage in the 3rd Quarter before the Battlin’ Bears had to hold on by their fingertips in the 4th for a 23-21 upset win. Continue reading

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Filed under college football

ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY: COTHURNUS (circa 405 B.C.)

The Ruins of the Theater of Dionysus in Athens.

The Ruins of the Theater of Dionysus in Athens.

Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at an ancient Greek comedy. This time around I’m examining Cothurnus by Philonides, a comic poet who may also have acted and produced for the Athenian stage as well. It cannot be definitively determined if the “Philonides” referred to in those capacities are all one and the same or separate figures.

THE PLAY  

Like most ancient Greek comedies Cothurnus has survived only in fragmentary form and with very few fragments at that. The title refers to a type of footwear of the time period. A cothurnus could be worn on either the left foot or the right foot because of its softness and looseness. Because of this the word “cothurnus” also became a sarcastic term for a politician who tried to position themselves on both sides of an issue, claiming victory no matter which way the political winds blew.

This is certainly another element of Old Comedy that we can still relate to 2,400 years later. Philonides was specifically using this term and this comedy to target Theramenes. Continue reading

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Filed under Ancient Greek Comedy

PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT PLEADS GUILTY TO MURDERING 10 YEAR OLD GIRL

Democrat rat logo

DEMOCRAT PARTY

THANK DEMOCRATS FOR ANOTHER GROTESQUE STORY COURTESY OF DEMOCRATS’ OBSESSION WITH ABETTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND ENABLING THE ADDITIONAL CRIMES THEY COMMIT. (I’m an Independent Voter)

Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, pleaded guilty to strangling and drowning 10 year old Kayla Gomez-Orozco after attempting to sexually assault her. For the full story click HERE

Remember THIS WOULD BE THE LEAD STORY ON EVERY NEWS SHOW FOR WEEKS IF NOT FOR THE FACT THAT IT DOESN’T FIT THE DEMOCRATS’ PRECIOUS “NARRATIVE.” As it is, Democrat reporters won’t even ask Democrat candidates about this atrocity.

Meanwhile in the Democrats’ de facto “Sanctuary County” Montgomery County, MD illegal immigrants continue their War on Women. A FIFTH illegal immigrant has been arrested for rape IN LESS THAN A MONTH. Maybe the victims need some “sanctuary” from predators, but Democrats will never even consider that. They would find it gauche. Click HERE

Before we get to the main list of additional crimes committed by illegal immigrants recently I’ll post another reminder of the way illegal immigrants can spread disease since they bypass screenings for such diseases – which could be spotted and treated IF we had a secured southern border.

Kelli BallardJournalist and strong female role model Kelli Ballard courageously continues to compile as comprehensive as possible a breakdown of the additional crimes committed by people in the country illegally.

The victims of illegal immigrant crimes and the loved ones of those victims deserve at least as much care and compassion as the corporate media and the Democrats heap upon every criminal alien who commits murders and rapes.

The message has long been clear: Democrats care only about illegal immigrants and never the victims of illegal immigrant crime. And never about the diseases on the uptick in areas with a heavy illegal immigrant presence.

FOR KELLI’S AUGUST 15th-21st ROUNDUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS’ ADDITIONAL CRIMES CLICK HERE

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

ALTERNATE HISTORY: BIETIGHEIM (1886)

BietigheimBIETIGHEIM (1886) – Published anonymously in 1886 this work of alternate history accurately predicted some of the actual results and fallout of the coming First World War (1914-1918). Bietigheim is presented as a series of John Minor lectures about world history as seen from “futuristic” 1932.

First off, a summary of the book’s accurate predictions:

a) Tensions between Germany and assorted other nations cause a war that sweeps up many of the Great Powers as well as several other countries. 

b) American entry into the war proves decisive.

c) The German side loses the war.

d) The old European monarchies fall.

e) In the wake of Germany’s defeat a popular figure arises and rallies millions to him with his plans for the future of Europe and Russia.

Just before the 1890 outbreak of the war Germany and France are pushing their claims to Alsace-Lorraine, Italy is demanding Austria turn over portions of northern Italy, Great Britain and Russia are clashing over preeminence in India and Afghanistan, plus the Slavic nations are feuding with the Ottoman Muslim Turks over their own future and control of the Dardanelles. Continue reading

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Filed under Ancient Science Fiction, Future History

ETHAN VAN SCIVER: THE FUTURE KING OF ALL MEDIA?

Ethan Van Sciver 2

ETHAN VAN SCIVER: HUMAN SUNBEAM

Okay, I’m being tongue in cheek with that title, but Van Sciver seems to have the same oddball sense of humor that I do so I figured why not? Ethan Van Sciver’s livestreams about pop culture are as addictive as they are entertaining.

Like so many others I found myself binge-listening to as many as I could do per day for several weeks and now I’m among the many waiting with anticipation for the next day’s installment.

Van Sciver has spent nearly three decades in the comic book industry as an artist and writer. Most of his time was spent at DC with legendary runs on Green Lantern and Flash, but in recent years “Uncle Ethan” as he’s called has become one of the leaders of the indy comic book “Outlaws” going their own way to create works free of the toxic influence of the Big Two publishers. Continue reading

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Filed under humor, opinion, Superheroes