Previously I mentioned sites like Gab.ai and Minds.com as sites that don’t police you like white one percenter Jack Dorsey’s thugs do at Twitter. And yes, Twitter Trash, if you regulate content you’re a PUBLISHER not a platform provider, and are therefore responsible for every single thing posted there. Many people are talking about launching even MORE lawsuits against the Twits at Twitter over this very issue.
This newest FREE SPEECH platform is called PARLER NEWS and can be joined HERE
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
PITTSBURGH STEELERS SUPER BOWLS
With college football season closing in on its end here’s a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their trips to the Super Bowl. This will include all eight of their appearances, not just their six victories. For game by game odds and other info on the Steelers click HERE or HERE
SUPER BOWL IX
Date: January 12th, 1975
City: New Orleans, LA
Opponents: Minnesota Vikings
The Game: Back in those days when the saying went “Offense wins games, but DEFENSE wins Championships” this Super Bowl lived up to that particular piece of conventional wisdom. By Halftime the only points had come from a Safety in the 2nd Quarter, giving the Steelers a 2-0 edge at the break.
Pittsburgh added 7 more points in the 3rd and 4th Quarters while the Vikings could muster a mere 6 total and those in the final frame. The Steelers won the game 16-6.
SUPER BOWL X
Date: January 18th, 1976
City: Miami, FL
Opponents: Dallas Cowboys
The Game: A 7-7 tie in the opening Quarter became a 10-7 lead for the Cowboys come Halftime. After a scoreless 3rd Quarter the Steelers outscored Dallas 14-7 in the 4th to win back to back Super Bowls. The final score was 21-17.
SUPER BOWL XIII
Date: January 21st, 1979 Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Balladeer’s Blog continues its retrospective of The Best of 2018 with this look at May’s Best.
SOLO: BOOK REVIEW – I reviewed this Jack Higgins espionage novel. The story centered around efforts to stop an international assassin codenamed The Cretan Lover.
The Cretan (as the codename is often shortened to) is really John Mikali, Greek concert pianist from a wealthy family. During his alienated youth Mikali spent two years in the French Foreign Legion fighting in blood-drenched Algeria, providing the basic training for his career as an assassin. In hot pursuit is Welsh Colonel Asa Morgan, whose daughter died as collateral damage following one of Mikali’s killings. CLICK HERE
POPE FRANCIS, A MAN OF HIS WORD: THE WORST SUPERHERO MOVIE EVER – I reviewed the documentary about Francis as if it was a superhero movie being reviewed by one of the snarkier IMDb members.
If you are interested in reading this particular blog post CLICK HERE
NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED ON THE POMPOSITY OF THE AMERICAN LEFT’S TRUMP-HATERS – The title says it all.
This was written by a left-winger put off like so many of us by the pompous snobbery and hate-filled bigotry of the worst kind of anti-Trump loons. CLICK HERE
DYSTOPIA NATION: TECHNO-TYRANTS OF SILICON VALLEY – Balladeer’s Blog’s dystopian fiction examination of the 21st Century Robber Barons at Facebook, G**gle, Twitter and elsewhere becomes more timely by the day.
The invasion of privacy and outright attack on freedom of expression being run by the one-percenters of Silicon Valley really are like dystopian science fiction come to life. CLICK HERE
FACULTY LOUNGE FASCIST ROUNDUP: MAY 7th – One of the most popular installments of this ongoing series about how American colleges and universities have become churches of irrational thought.
Faculty Lounge Fascists abuse their positions to browbeat their students into agreeing with their narrow-minded worldview while filing complaints about anyone and everyone who disagrees with them. CLICK HERE
FLASHMAN NOVELS: SIXTH PLACE – Because of the success and popularity of Balladeer’s Blog’s review of The Top Five Harry Flashman Novels I threw in this bonus sixth-place (out of twelve) book.
That bonus novel was Flashman and the Mountain of Light, which featured George MacDonald Fraser’s infamous antihero Harry Paget Flashman, the First Sikh War and the huge gem called the Koh-I-Noor (“Mountain of Light”) Diamond. CLICK HERE Continue reading
Filed under opinion
More Christmas Season kid-friendliness from the Golden Age with the 5th installment of the very FIRST superhero team in history: DC’s Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE
I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.
ALL-STAR COMICS #7 (October 1941)
Title: THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA RAISES A MILLION DOLLARS FOR WAR ORPHANS
Heroes: BATMAN (Original), SPECTRE, SUPERMAN (Original), HOURMAN, GREEN LANTERN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, FLASH (Original), SANDMAN, HAWKMAN (Original), JOHNNY THUNDER, ATOM (Original)
Villains: THE GENERALISSIMO, HOTFIST AND ASSORTED GANGSTERS
Synopsis: Justice Society Chairman Green Lantern mentions the plight of war orphans in Europe and recommends that the JSA members combine their crime-fighting activities with fund-raising for those orphans.
The heroes spend the next several days collecting bounties on wanted criminals, selling exclusive rights to a newspaper to cover their war on a particular gang of mobsters and trying to recover a priceless Aztec treasure before it falls into the hands of a corrupt Mexican General and his troops.
In the end the JSA raises ONE … MILLION … DOLLARS … for orphans in war-torn Europe.
How I Would Revise It: Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
BR’ER RABBIT’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992) – Balladeer’s Blog’s Ninth Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues! Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, Br’er Bear, Br’er Gator and many other characters created by Joel Chandler Harris are featured in this animated version of the Dickens tale.
Br’er Rabbit’s Christmas Carol is my favorite out of all the versions which present A Christmas Carol as the framework of a Mission Impossible/ Leverage “con job” to make a greedy character change their ways. To nobody’s surprise, Br’er Fox is the Scrooge stand-in who requires a wakeup call.
All the characters live in a town in the American South, where a charity stage production of A Christmas Carol is being performed, with the proceeds going to benefit the terribly ill Timmy Mouse. No, not “Br’er Timmy” or anything like that, just Timmy Mouse as our Tiny Tim stand-in.
Br’er Fox has no time for silly fiction and is completely unfamiliar with the Dickens Christmas classic. That fact gives Br’er Rabbit the idea to work with his friends to instill some holiday spirit into Br’er Fox, who refuses to help Timmy Mouse and charges the other animals exorbitant prices for the firewood he sells. If they can’t afford to pay, they go cold. Continue reading
Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Yes, it’s round two of this Christmas-time tradition of examining the folklore surrounding Charlemagne and his Paladins (Knights). For the first installment click HERE
And remember, this is the folklore, not the historical facts about Charlemagne and his empire.
ARCHBISHOP TURPIN OF RHEIMS – This Paladin was the legendary “Battling Bishop” who fought alongside Charlemagne and his other men in the field.
Turpin would take part in the battles, then clean up, don his robes and conduct masses of thanks to God for delivering another victory. Sort of a more badass version of Friar Tuck from Robin Hood legends.
OGIER THE DANE – Though he would go on to serve as one of Charlemagne’s most storied Paladins, Ogier was born to Geoffrey, the first Christian King of Denmark. Shortly before the child was to be baptized, six beautiful fairy maidens appeared and took turns holding the infant in their arms before kissing him and passing him on to the next maiden in line.
The first Fey gifted Ogier with bravery, the second with ample opportunities to serve in war, the third granted that he would never be vanquished in battle, the fourth gave him the gift of being pleasing for women to look upon and the fifth granted him the capacity to return the love he would inspire.
The sixth and youngest maiden was Morgana le Fey, who has a much different history in the legends of Charlemagne than in Arthurian lore. Morgana told the baby Ogier that she claimed him for her own (“imprinted” on him, you Twilight fans might say). She decreed that he would never die until he had come to visit her on the Isle of Avalon.
When Ogier was in his early teens emissaries from Charlemagne arrived in Denmark to demand a pledge of loyalty to Charlemagne as all the other Christian kingdoms had done. Geoffrey refused and so Charlemagne launched a military campaign which soon saw Geoffrey defeated and humbled.
To ensure Geoffrey’s continued loyalty his son Ogier was taken to live in Charlemagne’s court at first as a hostage, but soon the young man charmed Charlemagne and his nephew Roland. Ogier served alongside Roland as a Squire and eventually as a full Paladin. Continue reading
Filed under Mythology
Balladeer’s Blog’s End of Year Retrospective Continues with this look at The Best of April.
FREE SPEECH, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES – Neither end of the political spectrum seems interested in defending freedom of expression except when their own point of view is in danger of being silenced.
Here at Balladeer’s Blog I deal with these issues all the time. Easily offended people from the political left to the political right are often outraged by what I write. CLICK HERE
WITHIN AN ACE OF THE END OF THE WORLD (1900) – My review of this work of “ancient” science fiction was a hit with readers.
Robert Barr was the name of the author of this neglected item that dealt with apocalyptic concerns. What Barr’s previous work The Doom of London did for that city Within An Ace of the End of the World did for the entire planet. CLICK HERE
POLO: 2018 U.S. OPEN, GAMES ONE AND TWO – Balladeer’s Blog’s annual coverage of the U.S. Open in Polo attracted its usual share of attention.
Instead of the title game, like previous years, this year the most hits went to the opening two games pitting the Aviators against the Red Sleeves and the Valiants against the Association. CLICK HERE
TRUMP-HATERS: FASCISTS AND BUFFOONS – After two pieces of garbage like Barack Obama and George W Bush we got a de facto Third Party President in Donald Trump.
This post infuriated the stuffy, blustering fools who hate President Trump, the new FDR. That seems to be because they hate the working class and the poor whom Trump has helped and when they trash the Donald they are really expressing their resentment of the needy people that Trump has benefited. CLICK HERE
NEGLECTED DETECTIVES WHO SOLVED REAL-LIFE MYSTERIES – This item looked at a pair of baffling real-life mysteries that were solved decades ago by eccentric detectives as colorful as any in fiction.
Ellis Parker tackled a puzzling murder and bank robbery in 1920, while Edward O Heinrich solved four murders that took place during a botched train robbery. Heinrich’s case happened in 1923. CLICK HERE
THE PRISONER: MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER BEFORE – This item kicked off my review of the 1967 science fiction/ existential drama The Prisoner.
This series has become more timely than ever here in the 21st Century. Part Orwell, part Kafka, part Pirandello and part Alphaville, The Prisoner paved the way for ground-breaking shows like Twin Peaks, The X-Files and Lost. CLICK HERE
POLITICAL FORTUNE COOKIES – This was a popular one-shot item in which I took shots at Congressional Republicans, Barack Obama and many, many more.
To enjoy them, just CLICK HERE
MICHAEL MOORE: FAKE FRIEND TO THE WORKING CLASS – Pathetic, outdated Michael Moore STILL refuses to give away all but two million dollars of his bloated fortune to prove that he really cares about the 99 percent like he claims he does.
Moore is a whiny, hypocritical hatemonger and is despised by the working class that he claims to champion. CLICK HERE Continue reading
Filed under opinion
Balladeer’s Blog’s 9th Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues with this song from the 1970 musical Scrooge.
Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Here at Balladeer’s Blog I have repeatedly pointed out that the Democrats have trapped themselves in a faith-based worldview that is as dogmatic and irrational as any religion. They seem to feel that the rest of us are only as free as they permit us to be.
What I find unforgivable is the way they have become so intolerant and totalitarian that they seek to ostracize, isolate or destroy anyone who points out their flawed thinking. With “news” outlets and Silicon Valley technofascists helping them it’s like living in a theocracy run by left-wing Archie Bunkers.
THE REST OF US DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE FALSE PREMISES AND IRRATIONAL ASSERTIONS OF DEMOCRATS.
*** DEMOCRATS IRRATIONALLY INSIST THAT THERE IS SUCH A THING AS “THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY” AND, CONVENIENTLY, THEY PRETEND THAT ALL OF THEIR POLITICAL POSITIONS PLACE THEM ON THAT SIDE. It’s tough to list all the ways that this absurd assertion is wrong. First, any perspective on “the right side of history” depends on how many years ahead you go.
For instance, people opposing the rise of the Nazis in the late 1920s could have found Nazis taunting them that their opposition placed them “on the wrong side of history.” Go forward two more decades and those taunts – like today’s silly jibes of pretentious Democrats – are exposed for what they really are.
Second, the Democrats insist on practicing censorship, black-listing, destruction of due process, and prejudicial treatment based purely on people’s skin colors. Such practices have never put ANYONE on that fictional “right side of history.”
Third, Democrats’ loud, preening obsession with being “on the right side of history” is really just a cowardly endorsement of surrendering to the seeming inevitable – no matter how short-lived that inevitability turns out to be. (Again, think of opponents of the Nazis in the late 1920s.) How about having enough backbone to form YOUR OWN positions without regard to the speculated viewpoints of people in the far future?
Fourth, Democrats assert that being on “the right side of history” means striving to live their lives in such a way that people every bit as pretentious and snobbish as they are will sit around in the future sipping wine and pompously expressing approval of the worldview and political opinions that today’s Democrat Fundamentalists held while alive. No one alive today knows how the people of the future will feel about any of us or about our worldview.
If anything history has shown that people – ESPECIALLY the self-congratulatory asses called Democrats – take great delight in loudly and repeatedly condemning people of the past for (GASP) having opinions that differ from their own. It takes no courage and little effort to put on an air of moral superiority toward long-dead human beings.
That being said it’s more likely that Democrats of the future will look down on even the most self-consciously “progressive” Puritans of today as hopelessly misguided or simply ignorant.
Those future Democrat Fundamentalists very well may just sit around sipping wine and reassuring each other that they are morally superior to every Democrat of this era for not having THE EXACT SAME opinions as they do regarding race, gender, etc . Exactly like pompous Democrats of today do with people of the past.
The obsessive conformity, status-anxiety and insecurities of Democrats prevent them from questioning their narrow-minded political dogma and thereby realizing that their own condemnation of figures from long ago is every bit as much of a shallow, meaningless pose as the attitude that may be shown by Democrats of the future. Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
FOR CHAPTER LINKS CLICK HERE
HODADEION PART 10 – THE CANNIBAL WIZARDS – Now safely on the northern side of Niagara Falls following his battle with the whirlwind, the demigod Hodadeion continued walking toward the northeast.
The god of magic knew he was getting closer and closer to the home village of the cannibal wizards who had abducted his younger brother, the wampum god Otgoe. Hodadeion could tell that from the greater frequency with which he came upon empty villages which the cannibal wizards had depopulated by feasting on all the inhabitants. Continue reading
Filed under Mythology
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