Tag Archives: blogging

GHOST WATCH (1992)

Ghostwatch 1992GHOSTWATCH (1992) – This was a British made for t.v. movie that aired on Halloween Night in 1992. Ghostwatch is a nice – albeit boring – little novelty item for the way it anticipated the paranormal “reality” (LMAO) shows of today.

masc graveyard smallerThe telefilm also can’t help but put viewers in mind of the Paranormal Activity series and countless other Found Footage horror movies. Ghostwatch involves much older technology of course but for once, since the make-believe t.v. crew is filming their investigation of a haunted house, it MAKES SENSE for people to be filming everything.  

The casting for this production was well-done in that it contains virtually NO recognizable faces. Usually when watching BBC items from back then viewers can’t help but play Spot the Doctor Who/ Sherlock Holmes/ British Murder Mysteries Actor. Continue reading

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IRON MAN: 1970s CLASSICS 1 – THE BLACK LAMA AND RAGA, SON OF FIRE

robert downey jr iron manWeekends are the time for Balladeer’s Blog’s escapist forays into superheroes, who seem to be everywhere these days. This time around it will be a multi-week look at Iron Man and one of his most memorable story runs from the 1970s.

im 52IRON MAN Vol 1 #52 (November 1972)

Title: Raga, Son of Fire

Villains: The Black Lama and Raga, Son of Fire

NOTE: This is still the decades-long period of time when Tony Stark covered up his identity as Iron Man by pretending publicly that the armored superhero was really his high-tech bodyguard. That explanation allayed suspicion about why Iron Man so often showed up wherever Tony Stark was at the time. 

Synopsis: This issue starts off with Tony Stark in his Iron Man armor using his high-tech training room at Stark Industries Headquarters on Long Island. Our hero uses this hidden area as a testing ground for every upgrade he adds to his armor.

rdj as tony starkThis afternoon all of the destructive devices and traps are overcome by Iron Man’s latest improvements. The test session over with, Tony Stark catches a flight to California. With his engagement to long-time girlfriend Marianne Rodgers called off recently our hero is off on a vacation.

He starts partying with other members of the Jet Set in the on-board lounge during his flight westward. With Tony once again available – and with his secret heart transplant working perfectly – he returns to his old playboy ways. The women on board vie with each other for Stark’s attention, smitten with his looks, brains and immense wealth. Continue reading

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NJCAA FINAL FOUR AND NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ACTION

NJCAA DIVISION THREE

North Lake College BlazersFIRST SEMIFINAL – The 4th seeded NORTH LAKE COLLEGE BLAZERS ended the Cinderella run of the 8 seeds – the ROCK VALLEY COLLEGE GOLDEN EAGLES.

At Halftime the Blazers were chasing Rock Valley College, who held a 31-28 edge. From there North Lake College came roaring back, ultimately winning the game by a final score of 66-65. Gregory Crawford led the Blazers with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Continue reading

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FIVE MORE ANCIENT GREEK COMEDIES VIEWED THROUGH A MODERN LENS

Balladeer’s Blog’s previous look at Seven Ancient Greek Comedies with Themes That Are Still Relevant went over pretty well, so here are five more.

aristophanes picTHE BANQUETERS – By Aristophanes. This was the very first comedy from the Athenian whose name is synonymous with ancient Greek comedies, especially political satires. The nineteen-year-old presented a landowner from Athens whose two sons were being introduced to his phratry brothers at a banquet dedicated to Herakles. 

The sons were on opposite ends of what we would today call the political left & the political right. Following an argument between the two of them they switch friend groups to see who can handle the other’s daily life better. Jokes abound about values, hair styles, tastes in music and more. Continue reading

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ADVENTURES OF A MICRO-MAN (1902) ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

adventures-of-a-micro-manTHE ADVENTURES OF A MICRO-MAN (1902) – This work of vintage or “ancient” science fiction was authored by Lancelot Bayly under the pen name Edwin Pallender. The central character of the story was Doctor Geoffrey Hassler, a wealthy eccentric scientist who has discovered “microgen” a gas which shrinks objects down to a very small size.  

masc graveyard smallerDr Hassler’s demonstrations of the procedure in a diving-bell shaped chamber convinces even the skeptics and he rakes in even more money plus scientific recognition. One day when he, his daughter Muriel, her fiancee Gerald and a family friend named Reverend Eden are all inside the chamber a fluke accident causes them all to be shrunk down to a fraction of an inch.

Nobody was around to witness the accident so the quartet are trapped at tiny size for approximately 10 days, when the microgen treatment will wear off and they will return to normal. In their struggle to survive they manage to escape the chamber and make their way to Dr Hassler’s garden which – at their current size – is like a vast, dangerous jungle to them. Knowing they need food and water the group has no alternative but to venture forth. Continue reading

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NAIA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PLUS NJCAA TOURNAMENT ACTION

NAIA

Loyola WolfpackNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Fighting it out for the 2022 title in the NAIA were the LOYOLA UNIVERSITY (LA) WOLFPACK and the TALLADEGA COLLEGE TORNADOES.

By Halftime the Wolfpack had managed a 36-21 advantage over their opponents. After the break Loyola U and the Tornadoes put up 35 points each, as the Wolfpack won out 71-56. Zach Wrightsil led Loyola with his Double-Double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, while fellow Wolfpack player Myles Burns notched a Double-Double of his own with 17 points and 17 rebounds. * THE WOLFPACK ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS OF THE NAIA * 

NJCAA DIVISION THREE DISTRICT FINALS

eastfield-harvesters1SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – In this game the 2 seeds – the EASTFIELD COLLEGE HARVESTERS – faced the top seeded NORTH LAKE COLLEGE BLAZERS.

The Harvesters put the Blazers on Upset Alert at the Half with their 33-28 lead. From there Eastfield College had to hold on by their fingertips against an NLC rally, emerging with an 84-83 triumph. Twenty-three points from Geontay Davis led the victors in scoring. * THE HARVESTERS MOVE ON TO THE NJCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT * Continue reading

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AFRICAN EPIC: AIWEL LONGAR

Aiwel Longar

Aiwel Longar

Once again Balladeer’s Blog examines a neglected epic myth from around the world. Previously I have dealt with epics from the Navajo, Vietnamese, Iroquois, Aztec, Hawaiian, Chinese and other belief systems.

The mythic tale of Aiwel Longar comes from the Dinka pantheon. Nhialic is the supreme deity to the Dinka and the first man and woman he created were Garang and Abuk. The Dinka people live in the Upper Nile in Sudan, as they have for centuries.

AIWEL LONGAR

I often cover the way in which cultures which come into contact borrow mythic material from each other to embellish their own respective belief systems. The story of Aiwel Longar clearly influenced (and vice versa) Egyptian, Jewish, Christian and Muslim myths. It also bears striking similarities to the Gnostic Hymn of the Pearl.

PART ONE – Born as simply Aiwel, this figure was a gift from the god of the Nile River to Aiwel’s widowed and childless mother. The infant already had a full set of teeth when his mother picked him up out of the Nile River, where the river god had set him adrift.

Like many mythic figures Aiwel could Continue reading

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LUKE CAGE, POWER MAN: EARLY 1970s STORIES

power man pictureSuperheroes continue to dominate pop culture right now, and as I’ve often said, I think hero tales work best when set in their original time period.

Here is Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the earliest stories about Luke Cage, who started out as Hero for Hire before Marvel Comics changed his name to Power Man.

hero for hire 1HERO FOR HIRE Vol 1 #1 (June 1972)

Title: Out of Hell – A Hero

Villains: Diamondback, Shades and Comanche

Synopsis: Carl Lucas, a black man from New York, was framed for drug possession by his former friend Willis Stryker. While serving his sentence at horrific Seagate Prison in Georgia, Carl volunteered to be the subject of medical experimentation intended to create super-powered warriors for the government.

Albert Rackham, a racist prison guard with a grudge against Lucas had tampered with the experimental device hoping to kill him. Instead, Carl gained super-strength and bullet-proof skin.

cage picUsing those powers, Lucas escaped Seagate Prison but misled the authorities into thinking he died in the ocean while trying to get away. With Carl Lucas pronounced dead, our main character settled in New York City under the name Luke Cage and became a literal Hero for Hire, using his superpowers to earn a living.

After making a positive name for himself in a few fairly routine cases, Luke attracts the attention of the crime boss called Diamondback … who is really Willis Stryker, the friend who framed Carl Lucas years earlier. Continue reading

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NCCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AND NAIA FINAL FOUR ACTION

NCCAA DIVISION ONE

baptist bible college patriotsNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The 4 seeds – the BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE PATRIOTS – took on the 2nd seeded LANCASTER BIBLE COLLEGE CHARGERS in this title game.

By Halftime the Patriots had put Lancaster Bible College on Upset Alert with their 38-33 advantage. After the break Baptist Bible College eked out a tad more distance from the Chargers for a 77-70 triumph. Trent McBride led the victors with 25 points while his fellow Patriot Tre Minton logged a Double-Double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. * THE PATRIOTS ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF NCCAA BASKETBALL

NAIA FINAL FOUR

Talladega College Tornadoes NEWFIRST SEMIFINAL – This game pitted the TALLADEGA COLLEGE TORNADOES against the THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY SAINTS.

The Tornadoes shocked their opponents by going out in front of them 39-27 at the Half. In turn, the Saints shocked Talladega College by forcing Overtime with a 68-68 tie to end Regulation. In the extra session the Tornadoes emerged with a 78-77 victory. Sixteen points from Cam Potts led Talladega College. Continue reading

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SEVEN ANCIENT GREEK COMEDIES WITH THEMES THAT ARE STILL RELEVANT

Map

Map

The satirical comedies written and performed during the glory years of the ancient Athenian Democracy still pack a punch after more than 2,400 years. Athens faced many of the same issues and dilemmas we Americans face. Part of the reason for that is the fact that our founding fathers were great students of ancient Greek democracy and modeled some of our own institutions on the Athenian model.

The comedies are also much more sophisticated than modern audiences expect, featuring political views, sexual material and metatheatrical humor that seem several centuries ahead of their time. Breaking the fourth wall is not a postmodern concept like some people have convinced themselves – it was a convention established in these ancient works of comedy.

Irreverence toward any and all subjects – including the gods they worshipped – was permitted by the Athenians in the “anything goes” arena of the Theatre of Dionysus, where the comedies competed with each other at festivals, chiefly the Dionysia and the Lenaea.

For more details click here: https://glitternight.com/2011/09/22/at-long-last-my-ancient-greek-comedy-posts-begin/   

plutoiWEALTH GODS (PLUTOI) – By Cratinus. In this satirical comedy the Titans are depicted overthrowing Zeus in a metaphor for the fall of the political leader Pericles. This was a reference either to his actual death or to the loss of his position as Strategos  (Commander in Chief) depending on which year you go with for the comedy.

With Zeus/Pericles out of the way, Cratinus depicted the Titans returning Earth to the Golden Age when they ruled and all wealth was shared equally. The comedy presented various Athenian tycoons being put on trial by the Titans, who would confiscate  wealth acquired in an “unjust” way and give it to others. But just WHO gets to decide what qualifies as an “unjust” way of acquiring wealth? Continue reading

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