Tag Archives: Balladeer’s Blog

June 5, 2019 · 11:30 am

FLASHMAN’S GUIANA: LOST FLASHMAN PAPERS

Flashman faceFor Flashman Down Under, Flashman in the Opium War & Flashman and the Kings click HERE   For Flashman on the Gold Coast click HERE  For Flashman of Arabia click HERE 

Balladeer’s Blog now moves on to another Harry Flashman adventure never completed before George MacDonald Fraser’s death.

Lee Horsley Flashman

IF HE WAS BRITISH, LEE HORSLEY WOULD HAVE MADE A PERFECT HARRY FLASHMAN.

Projected Title: FLASHMAN’S GUIANA

Time Period: 1876-1877

NOTE: The title Flashman’s Guiana is a play on “Booker’s Guiana,” as the colony of British Guiana (19th century spelling) was often sardonically referred to in the 1800s. That reference came about from the way the Booker business empire virtually ran the colony. From a 21st Century standpoint we might look on it in a sinister Weyland-Yutani way.

… Strictly for storytelling purposes, of course, if you’re a lawyer representing the Booker Group. Honest. Really. (Although after this latest merger I don’t know if anybody would still care.) Anyway, as you readers have requested, this time I’ll establish the action then go back to detail the setup.

crossed sabresThe Action: Sir Harry Flashman and his wife Elspeth visit British Guiana right after their American Tour ended in August, 1876. A combination of Her Majesty’s Government’s interests and Flashman’s own hunger for large amounts of filthy luchre to sustain his and Elspeth’s grand new lifestyle wind up launching the British blackguard into his latest adventure.

Sword and pistols in hand, Harry leaves Elspeth back in the capital city of Georgetown while he takes part in a covert search for gold in the jungle region disputed by Great Britain and Venezuela. Continue reading →

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June 4, 2019 · 3:46 pm

NCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES CONTINUE

The NCAA Division Three Championship series is set – Chapman U will play BSC. D2 continues. 

NCAA DIVISION TWO

Colorado Mesa University Mavericks logoDAY THREE, GAME ONE: The top seeds – the COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY MAVERICKS – faced the 5th seeded UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES. After a scoreless 1st Inning the Mavericks went up 3-0 in the 2nd.

By the 5th Inning Colorado Mesa University led the Mules by a score of 6-3. The University of Central Missouri pulled to within 6-5 in the 6th Inning but no further, making 6-5 the final tally as well. Pitcher Andrew Morris got the win.  Continue reading →

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June 4, 2019 · 1:34 am

FOOL KILLER PART TWENTY-THREE: FEBRUARY, 1920

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT, CLICK HERE

Fool Killer 1920sPART TWENTY-THREE: Here is a look at some of the Fool Killer’s targets from James L Pearson’s February of 1920 issue.

*** People supporting Prohibition.

*** The Fool Killer crashed and slammed a Protestant conference in Boston. The Protestant Preachers were discussing the time period’s shortage of young men willing to become Preachers, a shortage the Fool Killer often took “credit” for since he claimed it was fear of meeting his (the Fool Killer’s) wrath that helped scare a lot of men away from the pulpit. (The fictional vigilante went after Elmer Gantry-like corrupt Preachers long before Sinclair Lewis’ novel Elmer Gantry had been published.)

              This conference was endorsing the use of phonograph records as “canned” sermons and – since J.L. Pearson’s version of the Fool Killer had an unfortunate preoccupation with religion – this use of such canned sermons found the homicidal fellow unleashing some non-fatal wrath on congregations around the country IF they lazily used the pre-recorded sermons. (Remember, in the 1800s part of the Fool Killer’s Bogey Man aspect was that he would supposedly kill fools who fell asleep during mass.)

*** Supporters of the Red Scare being pushed by Democrat Woodrow Wilson’s Attorney General A Mitchell Palmer (as in the Palmer Raids).

*** Supporters of Republican General Leonard Wood.

*** “Spiritualist” con artists who took money from people for pretending to put them in contact with their dead loved ones in the Afterlife. Sometimes the Fool Killer also preyed upon the foolish victims of the con artists, depending on his ever-changing moods.  Continue reading →

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June 2, 2019 · 7:56 pm

JACKSON BROWNE: SOMEBODY’S BABY

Balladeer’s Blog’s recurring bit Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead is back with Jackson Browne and his song Somebody’s Baby: 

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June 2, 2019 · 4:14 pm

NJCAA CHAMPS DECIDED, TWO NCAA SERIES STILL ROLLING

NJCAA DIVISION ONE

Central Arizona College Vaqueros NEWCHAMPIONSHIP GAME: The CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE VAQUEROS took on the IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS yesterday. The 1st Inning was an embarrassment to both defenses and ended in a 7-4 Reivers lead.

From there the Vaqueros would only permit Iowa Western College to drive in 1 more Run in the 6th Inning while keeping their own bats red-hot. Central Arizona College won the game by a final score of 13-8 behind the pitching of Mitchell DeCovich. * THE VAQUEROS ARE CHAMPIONS OF NJCAA BASEBALL *

NCAA DIVISION TWO

centralmissourimulesDAY ONE, GAME ONE: The 5 seeds – the UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES – clashed with the 4th seeded ASHLAND UNIVERSITY EAGLES. The Mules parlayed a 1-0 edge in the 1st Inning into a 5-0 advantage by the 2nd.

The 4th Inning ended with the University of Central Missouri on top 7-2 and the 5th in a 9-2 Mules lead. The Eagles would trim that to 9-4 in the 7th Inning but that ended the scoring as 9-4 also wound up being the final tally. Ben Kelsch pitched for the win. Continue reading →

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June 1, 2019 · 9:48 pm

FOOL KILLER: PART TWENTY-TWO – JANUARY 1920

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT, CLICK HERE

Fool Killer 1920sPART TWENTY-TWO: After a two-part examination of the newest Fool Killer Letter (CLICK HERE ) and the revelation of the vigilante’s activities in Texas in December of 1899 it’s back to looking at the 1919-1929 Fool-Killer presented by THE James Larkin Pearson.

The targets of the Fool Killer (I prefer no hyphen) in the January, 1920 issue:

*** Major newspapers which chided American Labor for bringing attention to the unscrupulous activities of the bloated rich pigs who ran the management side of America’s industries.

              It’s reminiscent of today’s battles with the Robber Barons of Silicon Valley, like Mark “Skippy” Zuckerberg, Jack “White Male Privilege” Dorsey and their fellow corporate fascists at Google and elsewhere. (And check out the documentary The Creepy Line which exposes Silicon Valley fascists at their worst.)

*** Ever since aircraft were proven to be workable the fictional Fool Killer seemed to have moderated his instinctive assumptions that people trumpeting scientific breakthroughs were fools and/or liars. By 1920 if an inventor or tinkerer boasted about their amazing discoveries or devices the homicidal vigilante had shifted to a policy of investigating the claimant and their scientific breakthrough.

              If the claims held up to the Fool Killer’s scrutiny he took no action. But if the claims seemed ridiculously wrong OR like a con or scam to trick people out of their money the folk figure unleashed his weaponry on the “fool” …

*** The Fool Killer investigated a recent claim from “a young feller up north in New York” (no name given) that he invented a “gas vaporizer” to replace carburetors. The young inventor claimed that his device would let your car get “ninety miles per gallon.” Since no such device ever hit the market it would seem the claimant was a con artist and was subjected to the Fool Killer’s usual brand of summary “justice.”

*** In Kansas City the roaming vigilante looked into another inventor’s claim that he had invented “an all-new type of engine” that was “sixty percent more efficient” than the engines currently in use. This, too, seems to have been a scam and the self-proclaimed inventor was dealt with.    Continue reading →

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June 1, 2019 · 3:57 pm

TWO MORE COLLEGE BASEBALL CHAMPS CROWNED, NCAA WORLD SERIES UNDERWAY

NAIA

tennessee wesleyan collegeCHAMPIONSHIP GAME: The top seeds – the TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS – clashed with the 6th seeded SAINT THOMAS UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (should be the Tomcats) for the NAIA title. A 1-0 1st Inning edge for the Bulldogs became a 2-0 lead in the 3rd.

By the end of the 6th Inning the Tennessee Wesleyan College advantage had expanded to 6-1. The only other Run scored the rest of the way came from the Bobcats in the 7th Inning as the Bulldogs won the game 6-2. Cole Bellair was the triumphant Pitcher. * THE BULLDOGS ARE CHAMPIONS OF NAIA BASEBALL * 

NJCAA DIVISION TWO

Northern Oklahoma College at Enid Jets SQUARECHAMPIONSHIP GAME: The last two teams standing in this World Series were the 5th seeded NORTHERN OKLAHOMA COLLEGE AT ENID JETS and the 3 seeds – the MESA COLLEGE THUNDERBIRDS. After 2 scoreless Innings the Thunderbirds went up 2-0 in the 3rd.

The 4th Inning saw the Jets go on top 3-2, and in the 5th Inning a 4-4 deadlock resulted. Northern Oklahoma College at Enid drove in a Run in the top of the 9th and rode it to a 5-4 victory for Pitcher Brandon Hudson. * THE JETS ARE CHAMPIONS OF NJCAA DIVISION TWO BASEBALL *

NCAA DIVISION THREE

Boston BeaconsDAY ONE, GAME ONE: The UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT BOSTON BEACONS took the diamond against the WEBSTER UNIVERSITY GORLOKS. Neither team scored in the first 2 Innings, following which the 3rd ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Gorloks grabbed a 3-1 lead in the 4th Inning but by the 7th the Beacons had knotted things up again, this time at 3-3. A UMass-Boston Run in the 8th Inning held up as the Beacons triumphed 4-3 behind the pitching of Bobby Tramondozzi. Continue reading →

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May 31, 2019 · 11:43 pm

COMIN’ AT YA! (1981): SPAGHETTI WESTERN REVIEW

Comin at Ya 2COMIN’ AT YA! (1981) – Directed by Ferdinando Baldi, Comin’ At Ya! is often credited with starting the pointless and bizarre 1980s revival of 1950s-style 3D movies. The film stars Tony Anthony, famous to us Spaghetti Western fans for the movie series in which he played a gunslinger called the Stranger. He appeared in others, as well, some reasonably good and others, like Blindman, so bad as to be virtually unwatchable.

Tony’s standout feature is the way he always looks like he’s ready to burst into tears, which always set him apart from the countless tough guys in Italo-Westerns. That feature stands him in good stead in Comin’ At Ya!

Tony Anthony

Tony Anthony IS Tinsley – I mean H. H. Hart – in Comin’ At Ya!

Anthony stars as gunfighter H.H. Hart. No, not H.H. Holmes, which would be an entirely different type of movie. Hart has, like many a fictional gunman, decided to leave his past behind and settle down with his one true love – a female gambler called Abilene aka the Cajun Queen. Abilene is portrayed by European actress Victoria Abril.

On their wedding day, H.H. and Abilene are separated when the ceremony is crashed by a gang of white-slavers led by brothers Pike and Polk Thompson. Our story inverts the setup of Louis L’Amour’s western The Shadow Riders, in which two brothers who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War set aside their differences to recover female family members from white-slavers headed for Mexico. 

In Comin’ At Ya! it’s the villains who are such a pair of brothers. Pike served on the Union side and Polk on the Confederate side. The duo command an enormous gang made up of veterans from both sides of the war in addition to renegade Indians and Mexican pistoleros. They steal the lovely Cajun Queen from her new husband and add her to the rest of their haul of young women to sell into slavery down in 1870s Mexico.

comin at ya - cinema quad movie poster (1).jpgOur main character, Triple H, ain’t havin’ it and sets out to recover his new bride and set free the other unfortunate women seized by the Thompson Gang. Needless to say he’ll also kill every member of the gang as well as some of the snobbish, upper-class Mexican aristos – male and female – who buy the ladies at an elegantly-appointed mansion/ former convent now used for slave auctions.

Even though this is really just a Spaghetti Western, albeit with slightly better production values, releasing a film titled Comin’ At Ya! clearly means you want it to stand or fall purely on its gimmick: 3D. First I’ll address the 3D effects and then examine the movie as a whole. Continue reading →

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May 31, 2019 · 11:27 am

NANG-GAI: A GOD OF FIJI

FOR BALLADEER’S BLOG’S LOOK AT OVER TWENTY MORE FIJIAN GODS CLICK  HERE 

Fiji 2NANG-GAI – Yet another son of Ndengei. Nang-Gai served as the supreme deity’s messenger or emissary. When the sound of the waves crashing on the Rakiraki reefs made so much noise that it was preventing Ndengei from sleeping he sent Nang-Gai to silence it. To this day the surf off Rakiraki is notoriously quiet.

The bats near Rakiraki were also too loud for Nedengei’s liking and the messenger god was sent to coerce them into silence as well. When the birds at Nathilau started making too much noise Nang-Gai was sent to order them to leave the area at night and only visit it during the day.

Once while chasing away yet another hindrance to his father’s comfortable sleep, the god accidentally lost his war-club in the waters off the Fijian island of Naithombothombo. Continue reading →

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May 30, 2019 · 11:30 pm

NJCAA3 CHAMPIONS CROWNED, NAIA AND OTHER WORLD SERIES’ CONTINUE

NJCAA DIVISION THREE

Cumberland County College DukesCHAMPIONSHIP GAME: The 3 seeds – the CUMBERLAND COUNTY COLLEGE DUKES – faced the top seeded ROWAN COLLEGE AT GLOUCESTER COUNTY ROADRUNNERS. The Dukes put the Roadrunners on Upset Alert immediately by grabbing a 6-0 lead in the 1st Inning.

That became a 7-2 advantage by the 3rd Inning and 8-4 to end the 5th. From there each team drove in 3 additional Runs as Cumberland County College won the game by a final tally of 11-7. Michael Miles pitched for 9 Iron Man Innings for the victors. * THE DUKES ARE CHAMPIONS OF NJCAA DIVISION THREE BASEBALL *

NAIA

USAO Drover newFIRST SEMIFINAL: This game pitted the 2nd seeded UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & ARTS OF OKLAHOMA DROVERS against the top seeds – the TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS. After a scoreless 1st Inning the Drovers seized a 2-0 lead in the 2nd.

USAO converted that into a 5-0 advantage in the 3rd Inning but by the end of the 5th the Bulldogs had cut that to a 5-2 edge. The Drovers lead shrunk to 8-5 in the 7th Inning but Tennessee Wesleyan College could only muster 1 more Run the rest of the way to give USAO an 8-6 triumph. The winning Pitcher was Rudy Gonzalez. Continue reading →

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