Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at another sports team name that is far outside the overused Eagles, Bulldogs, Tigers and Wildcats.
NORTHERN ALBERTA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Continue reading
NORTHERN ALBERTA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: COOL NAMED SPORTS TEAM
Filed under Cool names and cool logos
NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: DEC TWENTY-THIRD
Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog does a current events roundup from an America where the full scope of the coverup over career criminal Joe Biden’s failings continues to trickle out.
That graft-grabbing, mentally unfit creature did immeasurable damage to the working class and the poor while enriching the Biden Crime Family.
MONUMENTAL EXPOSE ABOUT HOW THE BIDEN REGIME WEAPONIZED THE GOVERNMENT AGAINST THEIR POLITICAL OPPONENTS. More HERE. And HERE. Joe and his ilk were and are utter filth.
JOE BIDEN UNCONSTITUTIONALLY CANCELS STUDENT LOAN DEBTS FOR FIFTY-FIVE THOUSAND MORE PUBLIC SERVICE DEMOCRATS. More HERE. And HERE. The Supreme Court ruled long ago that a president cannot do this, but the clueless elected Republicans still do nothing.
SCRANTON OFFICIALS WANT JOE BIDEN’S NAME REMOVED FROM LANDMARK OVER HIS GROTESQUE PARDON OF CORRUPT FEDERAL JUDGE. Countless lives ruined over his actions. Was Joe Biden getting his usual “ten percent for the Big Guy” out of the judge’s haul?
CONFIRMED: JOE BIDEN MET WITH HIS UNDERBOSS HUNTER BIDEN’S INFLUENCE PEDDLING CUSTOMERS MORE OFTEN THAN HE DID WITH HIS OWN CABINET. Try to picture how Biden’s defenders would be talking about such a fact if it pertained to Trump instead. Joe Biden was always unfit and illegit.
BRANDON TATUM IS CONFIDENT ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM.
DONALD TRUMP IS STILL DOING MORE FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS THAN JOE BIDEN’S ILLEGITIMATE REGIME.
REPORTER AT DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLET CNN CONFESSES AND APOLOGIZES FOR FAILING TO ACCURATELY COVER JOE BIDEN’S UNFITNESS. Does anyone still wonder why only brainless zealots believe corporate media?
DON’T EVER LET THE DEMOCRATS’ PROPAGANDA OUTLETS FORGET HOW THEY LIED AND COVERED UP TO INSTALL JOE BIDEN AND PROP HIM UP. Coin a term for all this and make it stick to Democrat media outlets for several decades at least, similar to the way “-gate” is still added to political scandals. Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
BEST OF AUGUST 2024
Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end-of-year retrospective continues with August’s best.
THE BIONIC BOY (1977) – BAD MOVIE REVIEW – I reviewed this Asian film about a boy who survives a car accident thanks to bionic replacements for some of his body parts. He seeks revenge on the gangsters who killed his parents. Read it HERE.
ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION – THE AIR WAR: A VISION OF THE FUTURE (1859) – Astonishingly ahead of its time, this daring, controversial tale was set in 6900 A.D. when people of color run the planet and white people are slaves. A global war breaks out between black people who want to end slavery for all time and black people who want to keep white people in chains.
This novel never goes where you think it’s going to. Click HERE.
BUFFALO SOLDIERS – A Frontierado celebration of the famed African-American soldiers of the 1800s west. Click HERE.
CITIZEN SOLDIER (1956-1957) – This Forgotten Television item depicted actual heroes of World War Two action playing themselves in reenactments of their battlefield heroics. You can find it HERE.
RUDOLPH VALENTINO’S SILENT FILMS – I reviewed the movies of the big screen’s 1920s heart-throb and the man Susanna Hoffs sang about “kissing by a crystal-blue Italian stream.” Click HERE.
1790: THE FIRST AMERICAN SHIP TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE GLOBE – Read about it HERE.
ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: IN THE DEEP OF TIME (1897) – A very imaginative look at life in 2190 A.D. There are “Sun Telephones”, tripod-like vehicles for personal travel, all manner of futuristic technology for everyday life and much, much more. This work deserves far more fame. Click HERE.
TONY ORLANDO & DAWN: THEIR TELEVISION SERIES (1974-1976) – I reviewed the singing trio’s variety show which featured plenty of guest stars. Click HERE.
THE MICRONAUTS – A look at several of their 1980s crossover stories with Marvel characters like Nick Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D., the Fantastic Four, Ant-Man and others. Plus Baron Karza returns. Click HERE.
FIST OF FEAR, TOUCH OF DEATH (1980) – One of the most hilariously bad kung fu movies ever made. Believe it or not, the great black actor ADOLPH CAESAR co-starred. Click HERE. Continue reading
Filed under opinion
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1914) – ANOTHER SILENT FILM VERSION
Christmas Carol-a-Thon 2024 continues here at Balladeer’s Blog with another all-new review.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1914) – This British production was directed by Harold M. Shaw and runs a bit over 22 minutes. Charles Rock starred as Ebenezer Scrooge and he delivered a very good performance, diminished only by the brief running time.
Though longer than the 1901 and 1910 silent film versions of the Carol, this 1914 movie is still a big step backward from the 1913 big-screen version which ran roughly 40 minutes. One of the very few Carols to overcome being limited to just twenty-some minutes was the 1971 animated production, and Harold Shaw’s effort falls far short of that one.
Still, there are bright spots in the 1914 version. Let’s take a look. Continue reading
Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL
BALLADEER’S BLOG: POSTSEASON COLLEGE FOOTBALL FOR DEC TWENTY-FIRST
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS fought it out with the defending champs – the KEISER UNIVERSITY SEAHAWKS. Grand View U. led 7-0 to end the 1st Quarter and 21-7 come Halftime. The Vikings shut out Keiser the rest of the way, leading 28-7 in the 3rd Quarter before winning the game 35-7. * THE VIKINGS ARE 2024 NAIA CHAMPIONS * Continue reading
Filed under college football
SHORTEST-LIVED SUPERHEROES FOR THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR
To mark the shortest day of the year, Balladeer’s Blog’s escapist weekend superhero post will look at even more Marvel Comics (back then called Timely Comics) 1940s heroes who made only ONE appearance.
MERZAH THE MYSTIC
Real Name: Merzah
Appeared In: Mystic Comics #4 (August 1940)
Origin: Merzah was a mutant born with his powers.
Powers: This hero could read minds, communicate telepathically and perceive people’s emotions. His psychic senses alerted him to impending dangers. In addition, Merzah could see into the future as well as the past.
Comment: Merzah’s sidekicks were his romantic partner Diana Lanford and his chauffer Jose Abejaron. In his sole adventure Merzah the Mystic defeated a Japanese spy named Satokata Matsu. Though America had not entered World War Two yet, Matsu was sabotaging U.S. infrastructure and stealing defense secrets. Merzah stopped the villain from derailing a loaded train. Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
DEC TWENTIETH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS
From Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog it’s time for another current events roundup.
*** QUICK NOTE FOR OVERSEAS READERS – THE INITIALS “C.R.” IN SO MANY STORIES ABOUT THE SPENDING NEGOTIATIONS STAND FOR CONTINUING RESOLUTION. Long before Trump came along, Democrats and Republicans spent decades playing games of chicken over trying to avoid “government shutdowns” ultimately blaming each other for any temporary shutdowns that resulted.
Long years ago things were always slapped together right before a shutdown while the corrupt political establishment acted like an apocalypse had been averted. But eventually, arrangements started falling through and we got “government shutdowns” (which were NEVER truly government shutdowns) that resulted in Continuing Resolutions, etc. and our white-collar criminals in office switched to hyping up the repeated “showdowns” over the C.R.s, like is going on now.
HOWEVER, THIS TIME IS EVEN MORE REPULSIVE BECAUSE MEMBERS OF THE OUTGOING, LAME-DUCK CONGRESS ARE SABOTAGING ATTEMPTS AT COMPROMISE BY INCLUDING DEAL-BREAKING ITEMS. This is setting an ugly trend for the future – Congress members who were just VOTED OUT OF OFFICE in November are free to play scorched earth games with the entire country on their way out the door. Specific members from BOTH parties are guilty.
CONFIDENCE IN TRUMP LEADS TO FIRST RISE IN LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS IN YEARS. He fixed the economy before, hopefully he can do it again.
Nancy Pelosi, whose policies harm the working class and the poor.
DEMOCRATS NANCY AND PAUL PELOSI CASHED IN ON FEDERAL BAILOUT MONEY. All this on top of Nancy’s insider trading scandals.
CAREER CRIMINAL JOE BIDEN FREES MEN WHOSE VICTIMS NUMBER ROUGHLY A MILLION. Those same men scammed over five billion dollars.
OREGON DEMOCRAT ELECTION OFFICIAL RESIGNS OVER SCANDAL ABOUT NON-CITIZENS BEING ALLOWED ON THE VOTER ROLLS. Ignore elected figures who say voters should stop looking into vote fraud. It’s important to keep fighting it.
AND YET ANOTHER COURAGEOUS WOMAN WALKS AWAY FROM THE INCREASINGLY DERANGED DEMOCRAT PARTY.
AND ANOTHER APPEALS COURT – AS ALL REASONABLE PEOPLE KNEW IT WOULD – SETS RIGHT YET ANOTHER DEMOCRAT LAWFARE ABOMINATION AGAINST TRUMP. More HERE. Fani Willis goes down in flames. Trump responds HERE. Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
BEST OF JULY 2024
Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end-of-year retrospective continues with a look at July’s best.
SHOTGUN JOHN COLLINS: NEGLECTED GUNSLINGER – A look at his real-life experiences and encounters with Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Johnny Ringo, Bat Masterson and others. Click HERE.
ONE LAST RUM MAKES THE LIST OF BALLADEER’S BLOG’S FAVORITES – I squeezed it in right before July 4th. Click HERE.
RIN TIN TIN: HIS SILENT FILMS – I examined the real-life original Rin Tin Tin from his adoption as a puppy by American troops during World War One. From 1918 to 1928 the canine superstar became an international sensation who had more endorsement deals than some human actors. Click HERE.
COOL NAMED SPORTS TEAM: SUSSEX COUNTY COLLEGE – Click HERE.
THE BLACK SOLDIERS OF THE CHASSEURS DE SAINT-DOMINGUE DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR – I examined the often overlooked soldiers of color fighting on America’s side during the war. Click HERE.
THE TOUCH OF BREEZE (2023) – Pritilata Nandi’s latest literary work. Click HERE.
SILENT FILMS ABOUT THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR – I reviewed silent films about that war made in 1914, 1916, 1917, 1922 and 1924. Plus, an infamous court ruling on one of them. Click HERE.
HAS TO BE SAID: JULY SEVENTEENTH – Daring and irreverent takes. Click HERE.
DEADWOOD DICK (1877) – The very first adventure of this gunslinging Dime Novel character. Click HERE.
PONY EXPRESS RIDERS – A look at Pony Bob, Irish Tommy, the man called Boston and others. Click HERE.
JANUARY OF 1976 STORIES FROM MARVEL COMICS – An examination of every issue published by Marvel that month. Click HERE.
JUDGE ROY BEAN: HIS REAL-LIFE SAGA – A look at the stranger than fiction adventures of this old west gunslinger and judge. Click HERE.
THE JAYBIRD-WOODPECKER WAR (1888-1889) – The real-life war of bullets and ballots in Texas. Click HERE.
THE CLOCK – The pre-Superman and pre-Batman character from 1936 and his 1939-1940 stories. Click HERE. Continue reading
Filed under opinion
BLUE DRAGONS WIN NJCAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Last night the HUTCHINSON COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS did battle with the IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS. A 14-0 Reivers lead in the 1st Quarter became 17-7 by Halftime. The Blue Dragons shut out Iowa Western in the 3rd Quarter while adding 21 points for themselves. The 4th Quarter saw Hutchinson College hold on for a 28-23 victory. * THE BLUE DRAGONS ARE 2024 CHAMPIONS *
Other championships decided thus far: Continue reading
Filed under college football
GEORGE C. SCOTT CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984)
Balladeer’s Blog’s Fifteenth Annual Christmas Carol-a-Thon continues with that old classic that starred George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.
This is one of the perennial staples of Christmastime viewing for many people. Readers are often surprised that it took me so long to review this one even though it’s one of my favorites. No special reason, it’s just that so many excellent reviews have already covered this Carol that I wanted to hit the more obscure versions first.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984) – Let me kick off this review with my old, overused joke about wanting to hear George C. Scott holler “Dickens, you magnificent bastard … I READ YER BOOOOOOOOK!”
My only complaints about this undeniable classic would be 1) the way it’s one of those Carols which unnecessarily add extra tension to the relationship between Scrooge and his father and 2) unnecessary magnification of why the poor and unemployed are sad at Christmas. Dickens put it poetically. This adaptation belabors it.
Moving on to the performances:
SCROOGE – Be thankful that George C. Scott toned down his George C. Scottishness for this role. If you’ve seen him as Fagin in the 1982 adaptation of Oliver Twist you know what a bullet this Christmas Carol dodged. (“When you put your hand into a pile of goo that a minute ago was the Artful Dodger’s face … You’ll know what to do.” That’s the last time I’ll do that. I promise.) Continue reading
Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL
