Tag Archives: blogging

MAAJID NAWAZ WITH TEN TIPS ON SOLEIMANI “EXPERTS”

Maajid NawazAmerica’s Democrats took time out from telling us that U.S. troops “are the REAL terrorists” to pretend they care about what may happen to American troops in the field after the slaying of atrocity-master Qassem Soleimani. Islamic expert Maajid Nawaz weighed in on social media and elsewhere with his 10 tips on what to look for in anti-western demagogues “who know nothing about the Middle East but will now talk as if they do:

“1) before yesterday they’d never heard of & still struggle to remember what his first name was   

2) they’ll proactively and without invitation, condemn “America in the region” without saying anything at all about “Iran in the region”, thinking this wins them brownie points from brown people from the region. It doesn’t.

3) at some stage, they’ll either accidentally tweet out or otherwise approve of official Iranian state propaganda & voices sent by the theocratic regime, without realising, it because they have absolutely *no idea* how to recognise Iranian proxy propaganda voices (NOTE FROM BALLADEER: Like the way the Democrats at the New York Times and various cable networks have accepted damning claims at face value.)

4) their narcissistic obsession with hating Trump (even at the expense of hundreds of thousands of dead Arab civilians, and the medieval theocratic oppression of millions of Iranians) will be what really guides their “analysis” not what’s objectively happening on the ground Continue reading →

10 Comments

Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

CHANGE OF HABIT (1969)

Change of Habit bCHANGE OF HABIT (1969) – This review is in honor of Elvis Presley’s birthday. Change of Habit is a movie that was practically MADE to be ridiculed. You’ve got Elvis Presley, never exactly a master thespian, his sideburns, which out-perform him in this flick and Mary Tyler Moore as a nun torn between her vows and her growing attraction to The King.

Elvis himself plays a doctor named John Carpenter (yes, like the horror film director), making his initials J.C., just like another famous Jewish carpenter … Jacob Cohen. Dr Elvis runs a practice in the ghetto, which should probably be rendered THE GHETTO instead, given the ham-fisted and stereotypical depiction of the neighborhood and its inhabitants.

Elvis’ character  – if you can make it out behind his usual one-note performance – is supposed to be the perfect made-for-film physician: good looking, compassionate and willing to buck the system in order to help his patients. … And, of course, he sings.

Mary Tyler Moore’s Sister Michelle is accompanied by her sister nuns Sister Barbara, played by Jane Elliott in the years before she was a Soap Opera queen, and Sister Irene, played by African-American actress and singer Barbara McNair. Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies, humor

ELVIS MOVIES FOR JANUARY 8th

Mascot new lookJanuary 8th is the combined marking of Elvis Presley’s birthday and the Battle of New Orleans, in which General Andrew Jackson and French Pirate Jean Lafitte defeated the British in the final battle of the War of 1812.

In the past Balladeer’s Blog has observed this date with looks at the musical Rock’N’Roll vs The Redcoats and with an article on the whole Orion/ Elvis situation. This time I’m taking a quick look at some early Elvis movies.

love me tenderLOVE ME TENDER (1956) – Elvis was the latest reason that the saga of the Reno Gang/ Reno Brothers got distorted on the big screen. The need to turn the Reno story into a vehicle for Elvis Presley made this attempt the most unintentionally funny of them all.

Favorite Part: A scene between Elvis, playing Clint Reno, and Richard Egan, playing Vance Reno. Despite the fact that the long-missing Vance was given up for dead and Elvis married his mourning girlfriend in the meantime the Side-Burned One actually asks “What’s troublin’ you, Vance?”  That question has been a catch-phrase for me ever since I first saw this flick on late-night tv.

Favorite Weirdass Song: Let Me  Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies, humor

TWENTY MORE COOL-NAMED NAIA COLLEGE SPORTS TEAMS

The year 2020 will be the year of plenty of Top Twenty lists here at Balladeer’s Blog. Here is yet another one:

calmaritimekeelhaulersCAL MARITIME KEELHAULERS

Location: Vallejo, CA

Comment: The name Keelhaulers may sound like a bar (“It’s Ladies’ Night at Keelhaulers!”) but that’s no problem since their mascot looks like he can definitely handle himself in rough company.

TRINITY CHRISTIAN TROLLTRINITY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE TROLLS

Location: Palos Heights, IL

Comment: No, their mascot isn’t a message board jerk provoking flame wars, it’s an old-school Troll like you’d find in fairy tales and myths.

columbia_koalasCOLUMBIA COLLEGE FIGHTING KOALAS

Location: Columbia, SC

Comment: Okay, koalas would be scary enough, but FIGHTING Koalas? Those babies will mess you up badly! And you can add your own Koalas in the Rain joke here. Continue reading →

16 Comments

Filed under Cool names and cool logos

CHARLEMAGNE: REINOLD, MAUGRIS THE MAGICIAN AND BAYARD

Here’s a bonus Charlemagne post in honor of Twelfth Night. FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER ON CHARLEMAGNE’S PALADINS CLICK HERE

Reinold and BayardREINOLD, MAUGRIS THE MAGICIAN AND THE ENCHANTED HORSE BAYARD – Reinold was another of Charlemagne’s nephews, like the Paladin Roland. Reinold, also called Rinaldo, was the son of the Emperor’s sister Aya and her husband, Duke Aymon of Ardennes. Reinold’s sister Bradamante, covered previously at Balladeer’s Blog, was the white-armored Paladin in Charlemagne’s court, making her literally a “white knight.”

Reinold, like his three older brothers and his sister distinguished himself in battle and was knighted by the Emperor. Reinold, already showing the maverick streak that he would become famous for, declined a sword at the knighting ceremony, vowing that as one of Charlemagne’s Paladins he would carry a sword taken from the next adversary he bested in combat.

MaugrisOnce, while riding outside Paris, Reinold was presented with a magnificent suit of armor by Maugris the magician, the younger, more active counterpart to Merlin from Arthurian lore. (In some versions Maugris – aka Malagigi – also gives Reinold a horse, but since this tale centers around Reinold’s taming of the mount Bayard I’m omitting that to keep the story stream-lined.)

Not long after, Maugris the enchanter again appeared before Reinold, this time in the forest of Arden. Maugris told the young Paladin that a mightier steed than the one he currently rode was on the loose in the forest, killing everyone who tried to tame him.

Maugris went on to explain to Reinold that the horse, named Bayard, once belonged to Amadis of Gaul. After Amadis’ death, Maugris had cast a spell on the horse that granted it supernatural powers, making it impossible for the beast to be subdued by anyone except another Paladin as brave and capable as Amadis himself.

All the other Paladins that Maugris had sent to try taming Bayard had been killed by the horse. Reinold was undeterred by that knowledge and rode off toward the cavern lair of Bayard.  Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under Mythology

AMERICA’S DEMOCRATS MOURN QASSEM SOLEIMANI

Trump soleimani and pelosiHonorary Democrat Qassem Soleimani was eulogized by America’s increasingly deranged Democrats over these past few days. WE NEED THIRD PARTIES. Join so many of us former members of that political party and #WALKAWAY from that fascist organization. 

#WalkAwaySome of that animal’s atrocities which have endeared him to America’s Democrats: assassinations, bombings, targeting civilians and other war crimes like EFPs, plus crushing the student demonstrations in Iran. (America’s Democrats feel only students who agree with them have the right to hold demonstrations.) 

Soleimani killingHey, Democrats, any time you want to consider rejoining the human race and recovering your sanity, bear in mind that you do not have to canonize garbage like Soleimani purely out of spite. Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS FROM JANUARY 4th

NAIA

Texas Wesleyan RamsDOWN GOES NUMBER NINE – The 22nd ranked TEXAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY RAMS welcomed the number 9 team in the nation – the WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS (Should be the Flying Ws). The key words were “Upset Massacre” as the Rams led the Pioneers 40-22 at Halftime, then obliterated them by a final tally of NINETY-SEVEN to FIFTY! Peyton Sallee led Texas Wesleyan with 26 points.

Lyon College ScotsOTHER UPSETS IN THE RANKINGS – The LYON COLLEGE SCOTS, often called the team of all Americans of Scottish descent, toppled the visiting 18th ranked CENTRAL BAPTIST COLLEGE MUSTANGS in a 65-61 Instant Classic   ###   And the LIFE UNIVERSITY (GA) RUNNING EAGLES notched a 72-57 Road Upset of the number 19 LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS.

EUTECTICSCOMMUNITY NIGHT CHAOS – The SAINT LOUIS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY EUTECTICS took it on the road against the HANNIBAL-LAGRANGE UNIVERSITY TROJANS on their Community Night event. The Eutectics were chasing the Trojans 34-26 at the Half before outscoring their hosts 50-33 from there for a 76-67 triumph. Jordan Anderson led the victors with 19 points.  Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under College Basketball

KILLRAVEN TWENTY-THREE: THE MORNING AFTER MOURNING PREY

FOR PART ONE OF BALLADEER’S BLOG’S EXAMINATION OF THIS OLD, OLD MARVEL COMICS STORYLINE CLICK HERE  The revisions I would make are scattered throughout the synopsis below. 

Killraven mourning preyAMAZING ADVENTURES Vol 2 #39 (November 1976)

Title: The Morning After Mourning Prey

NOTE: I’m using the title that writer Don McGregor said would be used in the letters page of the previous issue, rather than the shortened title Mourning Prey that was actually used. The Morning After Mourning Prey has more of a Don McGregorish feel to it so I wish he and artist Craig Russell had stuck to it.

Killraven farewellIt is now January 2020, but we can just call it “44 years from now” as it would have been to 1976 readers. The setting is the Okefenokee Swamp, an unknown number of days after the previous issue’s New Year’s Eve celebration between Killraven and his Freemen and Brother Axe and his military-uniformed rebel colony.  

Synopsis: Our heroes continue their guerilla uprising against Earth’s alien conquerors. Killraven, M’Shulla, Old Skull, Carmilla Frost (and her father Deathlok in my revisions) are being guided through the swamp toward “an enchanted village” which is obviously intended to be Disney World as surely as the Golden Arch several issues back was intended to be from a futuristic McDonald’s. Continue reading →

53 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

TWENTY MORE FAILED PREDICTIONS FROM PSYCHICS

masc graveyard newBalladeer’s Blog’s previous items on hilariously failed predictions by “psychics” were so popular here’s a fourth installment.

JEANE DIXON

*** By 1990 the U.S. will have its first female president.

*** In 1988 the Russians and their satellite nations will invade the Middle East and occupy Israel and its neighboring Muslim nations. The resulting war of resistance against the Soviets will last 7 years.

*** In 1995 the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan will establish a headquarters in Rome to begin strategizing for a counteroffensive against the Soviets in the Middle East. A great Allied leader will emerge from the Rome preparations.

*** In 1999 the Allies will be at war with the Soviets. Russian nuclear missiles will wipe out most coastal cities in the U.S. as well as many cities in Europe.

*** In the year 2000 the Soviet forces in Israel will be destroyed by the U.S. and its allies. The great Allied leader mentioned before will be hailed as a savior, ruler and conquering hero. However, they will prove to be a “false prophet of evil.” (So would a false prophet of evil be a prophet of goodness?) 

*** By 2005 China will conquer all of Asia and move into the Middle East. Nuclear war will be unleashed again and China will be defeated after the loss of millions of lives. (Sure, we can look back on it now and laugh, but back THEN …) Continue reading →

14 Comments

Filed under humor

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG

Per the Glitternight Index:

Midamerica Christian University Evangels BESTNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Division One – 1. MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY EVANGELS    ###    2. UNIVERSITY OF PIKEVILLE BEARS    ###    3. GEORGETOWN (KY) COLLEGE TIGERS    ###    4. THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS    ###     5. WILLIAM PENN UNIVERSITY STATESMEN    ###   

LSU Shreveport Pilots NEW6. LSU-SHREVEPORT PILOTS (Riverboat Pilots)    ###     7. UNIVERSITY OF PROVIDENCE (MT) ARGONAUTS    ###     8. JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY GOLDEN EAGLES (Should be the Abolitionists)    ###     9. WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS (Should be the Flying Ws)    ###     10. LOYOLA (LA) UNIVERSITY WOLFPACK    ###    Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under College Basketball