So say we all.
I Too Have Become Disillusioned
By Matt Patterson (Newsweek Columnist – Opinion Writer)
Years from now, historians may regard the election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, the result of a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the world’s largest economy, direct the world’s most powerful military, execute the world’s most consequential job?
Imagine a future historian examining Obama’s pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League, despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a “community organizer;” a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid term of his attention, less often did he vote “present”); and finally an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions.
HITTITE MYTHOLOGY: THE TOP DEITIES
The Hittite Empire spread throughout Anatolia, covering a large part of what is now Turkey and Syria as well as some parts far eastward and southward of there (accounts vary). The scarce remains of the texts regarding the deities worshipped by the Hittites are tantalizingly fragmentary but reflect and/or influenced myths from Mesopotamia across the west to ancient Greece and south to Canaanite territory.
ARANZAH – The god of the body of water that bore his name – the Aranzah River. The Aranzah is better known as the Tigris, which begins its journey southward from the Taurus Mountains in what is now eastern Turkey. This deity was a brother of the storm god Tarhun (Teshub to the Hurrians) and like him was born in the belly of the god Kumarbi.
ISTUSTAYA and PAPAYA – The Hittite goddesses of destiny. The two deities sat by the shores of the Black Sea where they would spin the threads that are each mortal’s destiny, taking special care with the fates of kings. The two left their seaside location only for special occassions like conferences of all the gods. Collectively the two were called the Gulses by the Hittites and the Hutena by the Hurrians. The ancient Greeks added a third to their number and called them the Morae (Fates). Continue reading
Filed under Mythology
HENRY MORE: ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION FROM 1647
Henry More was a Platonist philosopher at Cambridge. Inspired by Keplers’ work of “ancient science fiction” titled Somnium More wrote a poem titled Insomnium Philosophicum which was published in 1647.
In this work More depicted his astral body departing his physical form to fly into space, rowing “with mine own arms in liquid sky” for fans of the cult movie of that name. Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Science Fiction
COLLEGE BASEBALL RESULTS FROM APRIL 19th
UC-CLERMONT RULES THE WORLD – The USCAA’s UNIVERSITY OF CINCINATTI AT CLERMONT COUGARS didn’t just upset the NCAA’s WILMINGTON COLLEGE QUAKERS, they completely dismembered them and burned the remains. A 2-2 tie in the 2nd Inning became a 9-2 lead for the Cougars by the time the 3rd Inning was over. UCC never looked back from there, going on to total the Quakers by a final score of 12-2.
THE ULTIMATE PITCHER’S DUEL – Ryan Hedges from the ALFRED STATE PIONEERS took on Derek Harkin from the SUNY- CANTON KANGAROOS in the most exciting battle of the mounds from yesterday’s action. The Kangaroos gave up one run in the opening Inning and that turned out to be all the scoring for the entire game! The Pioneers went home with a 1-0 victory. Continue reading
Filed under College Baseball
PULP HERO NORTHWEST SMITH – STORIES 1 and 2
Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of another neglected pulp hero – in this case Northwest Smith. Created by the female author C.L. Moore in the 1930’s Northwest Smith was a ruthless outer-space smuggler and mercenary decades before Han Solo. With his Venusian partner Yarol at his side and armed with a trusty blaster Smith roamed the solar system in his deceptively fast spaceship The Maid. In the course of their criminal pursuits the two often found themselves in the role of reluctant heroes, sometimes with the fate of entire planets at stake. For more on Northwest Smith and other neglected pulp heroes click here: https://glitternight.com/pulp-heroes/
1. SHAMBLEAU (1933) – In this Northwest Smith debut story our anti-hero is lying low between smuggling capers in the Martian city of Lakkdarol. While passing time in the more dangerous quarters of the city Northwest gets the hots for a Martian woman of the Shambleau species and saves her from being killed by a pursuing mob of Martians, Earth colonists and expatriate swamp-men from Venus. Continue reading
Filed under Pulp Heroes
SEASON TWO PREMIER OF TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GOLEM AIRS TONIGHT!
Yes, it’s time for the Season Two debut of the hottest cable show this side of The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones. If you weren’t watching this show last year you must have been living under the proverbial rock. Twenty-First Century Golem deals with the adventures of Jewish mythology’s creature the Golem set in the world of today. Continue reading
Filed under Fantastic Movie Reviews
THE PARTY CRASHERS (1958) – ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT
In the middle 1980’s/ Way down on Level 31 –
Before MST3K there was … The Texas 27 Film Vault!
Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of this neglected cult show from the mid-1980′s.
EPISODE ORIGINALLY BROADCAST: Saturday September 13th, 1986 from 10:30pm to 1:00am.
Randy (right) and Richard way down on Level 31 hosting The Texas 27 Film Vault
EXTRAS: This episode featured Randy and Richard’s interview with Denver Pyle, who appears in the film being riffed on, The Party Crashers. They taped the interview with him at Ben Johnson’s ranch earlier in the year. The interview would be rerun when The Texas 27 Film Vault showed The Flying Saucer, another film with Denver Pyle in a supporting role. OR as some T27FV fans have claimed The Flying Saucer was shown by Randy and Richard during the summer of 1986 so the Denver Pyle interview was being run for the second time in TONIGHT’S episode. When or if I can confirm or nail down the specifics I will adjust this entry.
SERIAL: Before presenting and mocking The Party Crashers our machine-gun wielding Film Vault Technicians First Class presented and mocked an episode of Mysterious Doctor Satan, a Republic serial from 1940. The serial featured a mad scientist called Dr Satan trying to take over the world with a VERY goofy- looking robot while a pulp-style hero called the Copperhead tried to thwart his plans. Continue reading
Filed under Bad and weird movies, Movie Hosts
COLLEGE BASEBALL: BALLADEER’S BLOG’S LATEST RANKINGS
USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) – 1. UNIVERSITY OF LINDENWOOD AT BELLEVILLE LYNX ### 2. NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS ### 3. PSU- GREATER ALLEGHENY LIONS ### 4. SELMA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS ### 5. UNIVERSITY OF CINCINATTI AT CLERMONT COUGARS ###
6. AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY GYRENES ### 7. SOUTHERN MAINE COLLEGE SEAWOLVES ### 8. CANTON STATE UNIVERSITY KANGAROOS ### 9. SOUTHERN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS ### ### 10. ROCHESTER COLLEGE WARRIORS ### Continue reading
Filed under College Baseball
THE MUSLIM MARATHON MASSACRE: ONE YEAR LATER
A SYMBOL OF HATRED AND SLAVERY
BREAKING NEWS: Liberals and Conservatives still suck.
Yes it was a year ago that the world got another reminder about the blood-soaked, homophobic and misogynistic savagery called Islam when the Tsarnaev brothers set off explosives at the Boston Marathon and seemed proud of it. As if the attack itself wasn’t repulsive enough the American media made it even worse by once again showing their ugly biases. Remember how they spent a few days implying that since the attack happened on Tax Day it must have been Tea Party members (the favorite bogeymen of the American left) who set off the explosives? When the culprits turned out to be Muslims those same outlets looked even more foolish than they usually do. Yes, whiny Liberals, I know Fox News Channel and talk radio show conservative bias but all the other news outlets show liberal bias that is at least as blatant. Grow up and deal with it already.
As I pointed out last year after the attacks were revealed to be Islamic in nature and not tax-related: Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, opinion
THE TOP NEGLECTED CONSPIRACY KOOK THEORIES
Here at Balladeer’s Blog I enjoy treating conspiracy theories as a form of modern-day mythology. Just like mythology and religions conspiracy theories are irrational explanations for occurrences or situations that have much more rational explanations. And since I REALLY love obscure items that have dropped off the radar to a certain degree here’s a look at a few conspiracy kook ideas that were so crazy it’s almost a shame to see them not being discussed as much anymore.
ADAM WEISHAUPT: THE MAN ON THE ONE DOLLAR BILL – Even though Illuminati conspiracies have gone through the roof in recent decades this particular little nugget has gotten neglected. When the first meeting of Weishaupt’s Illuminati was held on May 1st, 1776 the nutcase theory goes that the conspirators had already laid out their plans to have two future superpowers, the United States, declare its independence that year AND for May 1st (the future May Day) to be the big annual holiday for the other one, the eventual Soviet Union. Continue reading
Filed under Milestones In Stupidity
