January 26, 2012 · 7:54 pm

COLLEGE HOCKEY RANKINGS WEEK OF JANUARY 23RD

 A nice January day like today seems like a good time for Balladeer’s Blog to take a look at the college hockey rankings for the NJCAA and for NCAA Division 3. D3’s defending champs, the St Norbert College Green Knights (logo at left) come in at number 5 this week, up 3 spots from last week’s poll. 

NJCAA Top 5 – 1. Monroe Tribunes… 2. Erie College Paws … 3. Williston State College Tetons … 4. Broome Hornets … 5. Morris Titans

NCAA D3- 1. Norwich Cadets … 2. Oswego State Lakers … 3. Continue reading →

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January 23, 2012 · 11:36 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLLS FOR JANUARY 23RD

 The latest polls are out for the NAIA’s two divisions and for NCAA Division 3. Tomorrow the new D2 and NJCAA polls will be released. The Oregon Tech Hustlin’ Owls are the new number 1 team in the NAIA-2 poll after the previous number 1, the Northwood (FL) Seahawks, fell to the unranked Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Eagles on the 19th.

NAIA-1 – 1. Shorter Hawks (18-0!) Continue reading →

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January 23, 2012 · 9:35 pm

A TERRIFIC BOOK EXAMINING RELIGION VS REASON: THE CLOSING OF THE MUSLIM MIND

 Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog know that I consider all religion to be mythology and that none of the world’s “holy books” should be taken literally. Most religions are civilized enough that their practicioners can deal with that viewpoint, no matter how angry it makes them. We all know which religion would be the one exception and the book The Closing of the Muslim Mind by Robert R Reilly provides a great deal of insight about that religion.

Reilly’s book covers the conflict between religious literalists and rationalists in the Muslim word from the 9th century C.E. to the 11th century C.E. Obviously, the Continue reading →

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January 22, 2012 · 3:51 pm

NOTEWORTHY COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS FROM JANUARY 21ST

 GUILFORD TAKES DOWN NUMBER TWO TEAM IN THE NATION – The GUILFORD  QUAKERS shocked D3’s 2nd-ranked VIRGINIA WESLEYAN MARLINS on their own court yesterday. The Quakers pulled off a 60-55 upset for the ages.

WPI DOWNS MIT – In a case of Engineer on Engineer violence the number 3 MIT ENGINEERS were likewise upset at home. Their 80-68 loss came at the hands of the WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE ENGINEERS.

MORE D3 UPSETS – In keeping with yesterday’s theme of ranked D3 teams getting upset by unranked opponents the 6th- ranked MARY HARDIN- BAYLOR  CRUSADERS were taken down by the MCMURRY WARHAWKS, who will be moving to D2 next season. The final score was 75-71. Yesterday also saw the Continue reading →

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January 21, 2012 · 3:04 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARDS FOR JANUARY 21ST

 Today the NAIA’s 4th- ranked Southern Poly State Running Hornets will welcome the number 18 Lee Flames in just one of the blockbuster matchups in the divisions of college hoops covered by Balladeer’s Blog.

Meanwhile the 5th- ranked Rogers State Hillcats take it on the road against the Wayland Baptist University Pioneers and the number 19 Xavier (LA) Gold Rush welcome the Talladega Tornadoes in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference action.

Below are links to updating scoreboards for those divisions: 

NAIA Division 1 –http://www.victorysportsnetwork.com/sport/0/4.php

NAIA Division 2 – http://www.victorysportsnetwork.com/sport/0/15.php

NCAA Continue reading →

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January 20, 2012 · 11:35 pm

BAD MOVIE PAGE: DRIVE-IN MASSACRE (1976)

 DRIVE-IN MASSACRE (1976) – Category: Gimmick movie worth watching once, but never again     

This movie has that certain charm to it that most low-budget 70’s horror films possess. When watching Drive-In Massacre you can’t help but reflect on the fact that the talent of John Carpenter is the only thing separating his milestone film Halloween from the many other 1970’s slice and dice films like this one. 

The plot of Drive-In Massacre involves a Continue reading →

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January 18, 2012 · 9:53 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLLS: JANUARY 17TH

 Yesterday Balladeer’s Blog looked at the polls for NAIA college basketball as well as NCAA Division 3. The NJCAA and D2 polls come out a day later, so that’s why the split days. The KWC Panthers, the only undefeated team in the D2 poll, remain at number one.  

NCAA Division 2 –   1. Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers     2. Bellarmine Knights (defending champs)     3. West Liberty Hilltoppers     4. Metro State Roadrunners     5. Tarleton State Texans     6. Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (love that name)     7. Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles     8. Winona State Warriors  

NJCAA D1-  1. Indian Hills- Ottumwa Warriors     2. South Plains College Texans     3. Coffeyville Red Ravens (love that name)     4. Continue reading →

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January 17, 2012 · 11:34 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: JOHANNES STOEFFLER

Mascot FOUR original pics

Balladeer’s Blog

The same kind of conspiracy kooks who believe that we never landed on the moon and that the 9-11 attacks were staged by the U.S. government also believe the world will end on December 21st of this year. In their honor Balladeer’s Blog has been examining some of the previous end of the world scares in history.

German astrologer Johannes Stoeffler predicted that according to his calculations the world would end by a giant flood on February 20th, 1524. Since Stoeffler worked for the prestigious Tubingen University he seemed to be a credible source, and before you knew it, hundreds of believers built themselves wooden arks (yes, wooden arks no less) and Continue reading →

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January 17, 2012 · 10:02 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLLS: JANUARY 16TH

 The Northwood University Seahawks (logo at left) remain the number 1 team in the NAIA D2 college basketball poll, but the Shorter Hawks are the new top-ranked team in D1. This comes after the defeat of the former top team the Oklahoma Baptist Bison at the hands of the Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm. Today Balladeer’s Blog will look at the NAIA Division 1 and 2 plus the NCAA Division 3. Tomorrow the NJCAA and NCAA Division 2 will be addressed.

NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Division 1 –   1. Shorter Hawks     2. Oklahoma Baptist Bison     3. Robert Morris (IL) Eagles     4. Southern Polytechnic Running Hornets     5. Rogers State Hillcats     6. Concordia (CA) Eagles     T7. Azusa Pacific Cougars     T7. Georgetown (KY) Tigers

NAIA Division 2 –   1. Northwood (FL) Seahawks     2. Oregon Tech Hustlin’ Owls     3. Davenport Panthers     4. Grace College Lancers     5. Dordt Defenders     6. McPherson Bulldogs     7. Bellevue Bruins     8. Warner Pacific Knights  

NCAA Division 3 –   1. Middlebury Panthers     2. Virginia Wesleyan Marlins     3. Continue reading →

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January 16, 2012 · 12:03 am

ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY: THE KNIGHTS (424 B.C.E.)

 In Balladeer’s Blog’s 6th installment on ancient Greek comedies I will examine The Knights by Aristophanes. For background info on ancient Greek comedies see my original post on the topic: https://glitternight.com/2011/09/22/at-long-last-my-ancient-greek-comedy-posts-begin/

In The Knights Aristophanes pioneered a new sub-genre of Attic Old Comedy: the  Demagogue Comedy. The villain of this masterpiece of political satire was a figure called the Paphlagonian, who was patterned on Cleon, a notorious Athenian politician of the time period. I’ll have Continue reading →

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