This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at some of the long-running characters from Indonesia.
PUTRI BINTANG (Star Princess)
Secret Identity: Yati Suryanegara
Debut Year: 1954
Powers: Putri Bintang was one of the greatest martial arts fighters on Earth. She could outfight multiple opponents at once, whether armed or unarmed.
Comment: This costumed superheroine was engaged to fellow superhero Garuda Putih (White Garuda). Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
USCAA DIVISION ONE
SEMIFINAL ONE – The 3 seeds – the LYON COLLEGE SCOTS – faced the 2nd ranked BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE AT BUFFALO BOBCATS.
The Bobcats held a 41-35 Halftime lead over their opponents. After the break the Scots mounted a comeback, outscoring BSC-Buffalo 42-29 to win the game 77-70. THIRTY-FOUR points from Mark Toney led Lyon College in scoring, while his teammate Nikola SaSaroga notched a Double Double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
FRANCOIS VILLON (1431-1463?) – The swashbuckling legends that surround this real-life French poet have sometimes been compared to tales of Robin Hood or Dick Turpin. Like Dick Turpin, Villon really did exist, but in his case he left behind an impressive body of literary work and he is still considered one of France’s greatest poets.
However, a vast body of folklore embellishing the man’s outlaw career and romantic speculation surrounding his final fate make it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Villon’s lifetime output of poetry – much of which has been lost – went on to influence generations of artists to this very day.
The Pre-Raphaelites including Lord Byron translated the Frenchman’s works, embraced his aesthetic philosophies and circulated the tall tales and legends surrounding him. Composers like Debussy based some of their musical works on Francois’ captivating verse.
Often called the poet of rebels, outlaws and the oppressed, Villon’s moving depiction of the suffering endured by the underclasses at the hands of uncaring royalty and corrupt religious leaders has been called “keening for the living.” Francois’ legacy as the poet who led French literature out of the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance Era is undeniable, so this item will instead emphasize his swashbuckling legend. Continue reading
Filed under Mythology, Neglected History
A TALE OF THE X-RAY (1898) – Written by Clara H. Holmes. This short story was first published in her collection titled Floating Fancies Among the Weird and the Occult, but it’s more science fiction.
Wealthy Christopher Hembold, who dabbles in amateur psychological research, wants to prove his theory that emotional changes make physiological alterations in the brain and can be measured via x-rays.
So obsessed is he with gaining evidence to support his theory that he desperately convinces a well-established scientist to use him as a human guinea pig. Christopher gets the reluctant genius to x-ray his head over and over again for days, hoping for results that show evidence of our main character’s changing emotions. Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Science Fiction
USCAA DIVISION ONE
DAY ONE: GAME ONE – The top seeds – the NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (Shipbuilders) – faced the 8th seeded UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FORT KENT BENGALS.
The Builders played suffocating defense against their opponents in the opening Half, leading them 45-28 at the break. From there, both NNAS and the Bengals added another 51 points to their respective tallies as the Builders won 96-79. Adrion Wall’s 26 points led NNAS.
DAY ONE: GAME TWO – In this game the 3rd seeded LYON COLLEGE SCOTS took on the 6 seeds – the BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE AT SYRACUSE BOBCATS.
The Scots were on top by a comfortable score of 51-23 by Halftime. After the break Lyon College kept the Bobcats at arm’s length the rest of the way to their 86-57 triumph. Twenty points from Frank Toney led the Scots. Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
ALIEN: NO MAN’S LAND (2024) is a top tier Fan Film that goes far beyond the majority of such efforts. This item runs less than 29 minutes and deals with an encounter between the Alien franchise’s xenomorphs and World War One Brits and Aussies set in No Man’s Land.
The quality is cinematic – maybe even better considering some of the rushed special effects that the film industry has cranked out lately. Sound, costuming, direction and even the acting are exemplary for a Fan Film and pretty solid even when compared to professionals.
The story: Continue reading
Filed under opinion
This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at the very first series starring Marvel’s alien from Zenn-La – Norrin Radd, called “the Silver Surfer” by the media. These are the Silver Surfer stories that Richard Gere talked about in the remake of Breathless (1983).
SILVER SURFER Vol 1 #1 (August 1968)
Title: The Origin of the Silver Surfer
Villain: Galactus
NOTE: After his impressive debut in the Fantastic Four story in which he turned against his master Galactus the world-devourer in order to help save the Earth, the Silver Surfer kept rising in popularity as he guest-starred in other stories. Now he got his own series.
Synopsis: The Silver Surfer saves astronaut John Jameson from the Spider-Man series when his latest space flight goes wrong. A misunderstanding causes the military to attack our hero, who simply flies away rather than risk lives.
This latest reminder that he’ll always be an outsider here on Earth, where Galactus exiled him to after the Surfer turned against him causes him to reflect on his past. Flashbacks show us his life back on his home planet Zenn-La. Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
Teams looking to punch their tickets for the national tournament in the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association).
MIDEAST REGION
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The WELCH COLLEGE FLAMES did battle with the BOYCE COLLEGE BULLDOGS.
This was a tale of two Halves, as the Flames were on top 55-36 at Halftime but from there the Bulldogs launched a furious rally. In the end, Welch College hung on by their fingertips for a 96-94 victory. Zaimes Hall put up 24 points to lead the Flames.
SECOND SEMIFINAL – In this game the CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY AT HARRODSBURG PIONEERS faced the SIMMONS COLLEGE OF KENTUCKY FALCONS.
The Pioneers played smothering defense, keeping their opponents under 30 points in each Half. A 34-28 Halftime lead for CU-Harrodsburg ultimately became a 67-57 win over the Falcons. Lewis Richards led the Pioneers in scoring with his 22 points. Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
A JOURNEY TO THE WORLD UNDERGROUND BY NICHOLAS KLIMIUS (1741) – This novel was written by Danish author Ludvig Holberg and became a European sensation. Like Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Holberg’s work in this book had satirical political meaning and though the issues and social criticism no longer apply to the modern-day world, the fundamental story structure still holds up on its own.
The tale begins in 1665 as Nicholas Klimius, freshly graduated from the University of Copenhagen, is doing natural science research in the mountains of Norway. At one point, his colleagues on the expedition lower him by rope into a cavernous hole in the ground so he can explore it.
The rope breaks, and Nicholas falls so far that his colleagues assume he was killed. Actually, Klimius fell down into the often-theorized Hollow Earth. In this case with an interior sun and small worlds in orbit around it.
The atmosphere in this subterranean realm provides nourishment and moisture, eliminating the need to eat and drink. After days of being trapped in an orbit of his own around the interior sun, Nicholas gets attacked by a griffin. The resulting battle pushes our main character out of orbit and he lands softly on a small planetoid he learns is called Nazar. Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Science Fiction
NAIA
RED RIVER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The LSU-ALEXANDRIA GENERALS clashed with the UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTHWEST MUSTANGS for the RRAC crown. The Generals compiled a comfortable 47-32 advantage by Halftime. After the break they managed even more separation from the Mustangs, ultimately defeating them handily 90-72. Kashie Natt led LSU-Alexandria in scoring with his 24 points. Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
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