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.

MANTIS 30: THE NEXT-TO-LAST CHAPTER

FOR PART 1 OF BALLADEER’S BLOG’S EXAMINATION OF MARVEL’S SUPERHEROINE MANTIS CLICK HERE 

Avengers 135 torch is passedTHE AVENGERS Volume 1, Number 135 ( May 1975)  The Torch Is Passed

Avengers Roster: Thor (Donald Blake, MD), Iron Man (Tony Stark), The Scarlet Witch (Wanda Frank), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), The Vision (not applicable), MANTIS (Mantis Brandt) and Moon Dragon (Heather Douglas) 

THE TORCH IS PASSED

Synopsis: Given the far more important storyline involving Mantis I’d have gone with the title hinted at in last issue’s cliffhanger ending: THE COMING OF THE CELESTIAL MADONNA. Instead they went with this cutesy play on words regarding how Ultron transformed the Original Human (android) Torch into the Vision.

Anyway, we’ll move along to the universe-shaking events taking place at the Pama Temple in Vietnam in a few minutes. This installment starts off with the Vision and his Synchro-Staff observing long-ago events where we left them.

Mantis 3The laboratory where the “dead” android Human Torch of the World War 2 era is lying on a slab was just broken into by the Avengers’ archenemy Ultron. Back then he was still numbering his iterations so he was technically going by Ultron-5 when he crafted the Vision.   

Courtesy of Immortus’ Synchro-Staff, the phantom-like time-traveler called the Vision continues observing how events played out years earlier. When necessary the Synchro-Staff’s robotic Siri voice provides added details for the Vision’s edification.

Ultron examines the slain android form of the Original Torch. He makes it clear that the Mad Thinker was responsible for providing the villain with the information that the Torch’s android body was still lying undisturbed in his (The Mad Thinker’s) abandoned laboratory.   Continue reading

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS: NCAA D2

The 2017 college football season for the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog gets underway this coming Thursday night. To satisfy our pigskin hunger til then here’s another of my Top 20 preseason rankings, this time for NCAA Division 2. 

Northwest Missouri Bearcats ### 1. NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS (Defending Champions going for a Threepeat)     ###     2. GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS     ###     3. SHEPHERD UNIVERSITY RAMS     ###     4. UNIVERSITY OF SIOUX FALLS COUGARS     ###     5. HARDING UNIVERSITY BISON     ###    

 Cal PA ### 6. CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA VULCANS     ###     7. FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS     ###     8. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS     ###     9. EMPORIA STATE HORNETS     ###     10. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES     ###     Continue reading

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LEFT-WING RACE-BAITING IS BEYOND ABSURD: THE “RACIST” ECLIPSE

Liberal racismYesterday The Atlantic ran a ridiculous piece by a black woman who examined the eclipse in terms of black-white relations, as if the eclipse had CHOSEN to not be as visible in states with a large African-American population. FOOLS LIKE THAT DO NOT SPEAK FOR THEIR ENTIRE RACE. NOBODY SPEAKS FOR AN ENTIRE RACE.

Along that line of thought here’s a great piece from the U.K. about how mind-numbingly absurd the political left’s handling of racial issues has gotten all around the world. The link is below but first some excerpts:

“… in recent years, it has seen the Left support similar Islamist stone-agers just because they’re the right (Left) side of beige.”

“Similarly, in Darfur the Left were thrown a curveball when it turned out that the Arab Muslims were terrorising the black Christians. Um, Islam good, Christianity bad – but hang on, Christians darker here! DOES NOT COMPUTE!”

“Writing in Everyday Feminism, one Nico Dacumos suggested that light-skinned people of colour such as himself should ban themselves from political gatherings of dark-skinned BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous and People of Color); … Mr Dacumos signs off as one who ‘instigates non-binary transgender faggotry in Oakland, CA’ ”

” In more recent years, Paint-Chart Politics has been ruining the lives of even more children, though this time exclusively female ones as the police forces of Newcastle, Rotherham, Rochdale and Oxfordshire chose to turn a blind eye to the rape, torture and trafficking of thousands of girls simply because the men doing it were darker-skinned than their victims.”

“As Sarah Champion – driven out of the shadow cabinet this week for daring to state the obvious case that this country has ‘a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls…because people are more afraid to be called a racist than they are afraid to be wrong about calling out child abuse’ – has proved, the messenger will be routinely shot for speaking plainly;

“far better to tie oneself in the knots the media is now entangled in where by fearing accusations of racism by naming the rapists as being of Pakistani origin, they have slandered a whole continent by repeatedly using the weasel word ‘Asian’. As Douglas Murray wrote in this magazine:

… preferring to hide behind ‘Asian’ and thereby showing a willingness to mislead their readers into thinking that organised gangs of Koreans and Japanese have been gang-raping young white girls across Britain over recent years.’” 

NOTE FROM BALLADEER: THE BIGGEST REGRET OF MY LIFE IS HAVING BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE DECEITFUL LEFT. YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRY FOR A BETTER WORLD WITHOUT BEING PREYED ON AND EXPLOITED BY THE HOVERING, CREEPY LEFT-WING ARCHIE BUNKERS OF THE “EDUCATIONAL” (LMFAO) WORLD. 

At any rate, back to the article: Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS: NCAA D3

With the 2017 college football season kicking off this Thursday in the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog it’s time for another of my Preseason Top 20 lists.

MHBU Crusaders1. UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS (Defending National Champions)    ###    2. UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS    ###     3. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT OSHKOSH TITANS     ###     4. NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE CARDINALS     ###     5. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT WHITEWATER WARHAWKS     ###    

St Thomas University Tommies6. UNIVERSITY OF SAINT THOMAS TOMMIES     ###     7. LINFIELD COLLEGE WILDCATS     ###     8. JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY BLUE STREAKS    ###     9. COE COLLEGE KOHAWKS      ###     10. ALFRED UNIVERSITY SAXONS     ###     Continue reading

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MUSLIM FASCIST ATROCITY ROUNDUP: AUGUST 21st

MUSLIM VIOLENCE AWARENESS YEAR CONTINUES.

Muslim nations abusing womenRegular readers of Balladeer’s Blog know that I’m an atheist but there is no denying that Islam – the religion founded by the blood-soaked child rapist named Muhammad – is the most homophobic, misogynistic and otherwise intolerant religion in the world right now.

Here are just a few of the latest Muslim fascist attacks.

August 17th: Barcelona, Spain – A Muslim fascist acting on behalf of the Islamic State (Obamastan) used his vehicle as a weapon to kill 14 innocent people and injure over ONE HUNDRED THIRTY more. Coexistence! 

August 15th: Mandarari, Nigeria – Muslim fascist suicide bombers killed TWENTY-SEVEN innocent people and injured EIGHTY-THREE more.

August 12th: Quetta, Pakistan – Even in Muslim nations the Islamofascists kill OTHER MUSLIMS for worshiping differently than they do. A suicide bomber killed FIFTEEN innocent people and injured THIRTY-TWO more. IS IT ISLAMOPHOBIA WHEN MUSLIMS KILL OTHER MUSLIMS?

August 13th: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – Islamofascists attacked a restaurant, shooting EIGHTEEN innocent people to death and injuring 8 more. 

August 14th: Timbuktu, Mali – Muslim fascists opened fire on a U.N. office, killing 8 innocent people and injuring 7 more. Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

A THOUSAND DEATHS (2014)

A Thousand Deaths movieA THOUSAND DEATHS (2014) – This 22 minute suspense/ horror piece was directed by Adam Zanzie who also adapted the script from the 1899 short story by Jack London. Last Halloween Season I reviewed that short story HERE   

Adam Zanzie’s effort immediately improves on London’s original tale by at least giving the characters NAMES. I’m not kidding, by the way. The 1899 short story was Jack London’s first published work and he neglected to provide names for any character except the mad scientist’s dog, Dan.

Zanzie wisely decided not to retitle this Dan the Dog and Company and instead chose to just make up names for the characters. Ford Fanter portrays the main character Jack (nice little homage on the director’s part) and John Bratkowski plays Jack’s sadistically deranged father, Dr Chaney.

Like Stuart Gordon having to reconfigure Tales of Herbert West, Reanimator for modern sensibilities, Zanzie does an excellent job of “scrumblin’ up” (for Marx Brothers fans) most of the original story’s elements to accommodate pacing AND budget considerations.

Doctor Chaney tests his life-restoring process by using his own son as a guinea pig, killing him over and over in various violent ways. After each unpleasant resurrection he pumps his son for clinical details about how he felt as he experienced each horrific end. All in the name of science, of course.  Continue reading

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Filed under Halloween Season, opinion

MANTIS 29: THE REAL STORY OF THE PRIESTS OF PAMA

FOR PART 1 OF BALLADEER’S BLOG’S EXAMINATION OF MARVEL’S SUPERHEROINE MANTIS CLICK HERE 

Avengers 134 times that bindTHE AVENGERS Volume 1, Number 134 ( April 1975)  The Times That Bind  

Avengers Roster: Thor (Donald Blake, MD), Iron Man (Tony Stark), The Scarlet Witch (Wanda Frank), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), The Vision (not applicable), MANTIS (Mantis Brandt) and Moon Dragon (Heather Douglas) 

THE TIMES THAT BIND 

Synopsis: MANTIS, Thor, Iron Man and Hawkeye, still traveling through time courtesy of Immortus (another of Kang’s future selves), are informed by their Synchro-Staff’s robotic female Siri voice that they are nearing another important point in the tale of the Celestial Madonna.  

In the previous installment the Avengers were shown the “senses-shattering” origin of the Kree-Skrull War millennia ago. Since then the two races have battled across thousands of worlds – even the Earth – forever expanding their empires.

Times that bindThe Synchro-Staff now shows its passengers the Kree home planet of Hala in the Kree Year 476 (last time around we learned that Kree Year Zero was the year of First Contact with the Skrulls). Here in 476 those Kree dissidents who want nothing to do with the “all-conquest, all the time” nature of their race’s Empire have drawn together in their own sub-culture.

That sub-culture of Pacifist Kree – as the Star Stalker told the Avengers when they battled him – formed the order called the Priests of Pama. Now our heroes are about to learn those pieces of the story that Mantis’ father Libra withheld from them.  Continue reading

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A Party In Crisis – Anti Trump Approach and Identity Politics Collapsing Democrat Party Support…

Centinel2012's avatarCentinel2012

If you are only listening to corporate media presentations you would be left thinking the political strategy of Democrats against President Trump is working.

Except you would be wrong.

VERY wrong.

While the overwhelming majority of corporate media punditry and opinion broadcasts paint a picture of President Trump and the larger republican/deplorable party in retreat, the actual data, outside the influence of media, shows a completely divergent truth.

The Democrats are in serious trouble; and it’s only getting worse.

The latest self-admissions by the larger American electorate on Party Affiliation show the number of people identifying as Democrat has slipped to 28%.  That matches the lowest number of registered democrats recorded in the past decade.

For comparison, in November 2016, just before the presidential election, the number of registered voters identifying as Democrat was 31%.  Conversely the number…

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THE BOSTWEEDS: FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!

Welcome back to Balladeer’s Blog, with another musical shoutout. It’s the Bostweeds -no, not the Mighty Mighty Bosstones – the Bostweeds with the iconic opening song to the Psychotronic film classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

I’ve always felt that if I get married I’d like my bride-to-be to walk down the aisle to an instrumental version of THIS song. It might even be a deal-breaker!

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MOCK HEADLINES: ANOTHER SAMPLING

fascists will call themselves anti-fascistsThe fascist scumbags and rapists from Antifa are proving the old, old saying that “The fascists of the future will call themselves anti-fascists.” How true! Antifa filth are proving that their name is short for “Anti-Fairness” even though they like to pretend it stands for something else. Anyway, those Nazis are part of this latest go-round of Mock News Headlines:  

ANTIFA PROMISES TO BEAT UP ALL ELDERLY PEOPLE IN MAGA HATS … JOHN MCCAIN APPLAUDS THEM

TRUMP-HATERS OUTRAGED THAT NOBODY BUT THEM IS MAD THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP POINTED OUT THEIR LIES YET AGAIN

two kinds of fascistsDEMOCRATS DEMAND THAT MINDLESS AGREEMENT WITH EVERY INSANE THING THAT DEMOCRATS SAY SHOULD BE A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT … ANYWHERE, IN ANY JOB

CNN CLAIMS PRESIDENT TRUMP IS TO BLAME FOR THEIR NEVER-ENDING OVEREXPOSURE OF HIM

CORPORATE MEDIA STILL TRYING TO PRETEND THERE IS ANYTHING PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD SAY THAT THEY WOULD NOT DISTORT OR WOULD FIND ACCEPTABLE!  

fascism is antifaCNN POLL SHOWS PRESIDENT TRUMP IS AT HIS LOWEST APPROVAL RATING WITH PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T LIKE HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE! 

CNN REPORTS THAT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CAUSED THE END OF THE WORLD TWICE YESTERDAY AND ONCE TODAY ALREADY  

REPUBLICAN JOHN MCCAIN CALLS ON ANTIFA TO ASSAULT HIS OWN CONSTITUENTS IN THE NAME OF LOVE

CNN SAYS PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE MOST HITLERISH HITLER WHO HAS EVER HITLERED IN HITLER-LIKE WAYS SINCE HITLER! AND BY THE WAY – HITLER!

Antifa posterDEMOCRATS CALL FOR ROVING MOBS OF ANTIFA RAPISTS TO REPLACE CONVENTIONAL POLICE 

CNN ANNOUNCES THEY ARE WORKING ON TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES VIEWERS SEE PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THEIR SLEEP

ANTIFA THREATENS TO KILL PEOPLE WHO POINT OUT THAT THEY ARE THE BIGGEST FASCISTS IN THE COUNTRY

WOLF BLITZER BLAMES HIS ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION ON PRESIDENT TRUMP Continue reading

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