Tag Archives: blogging

RANDOM WEIRDNESS: JAPAN’S LOOK AT AMERICAN HISTORY

My fellow fans of J-Horror know that Japan practically invented weirdness. What none of us knew is how far back they go with that mastery of entertaining madness.

John Adams fighting a giant snakeTheir view of American history is mind-boggling. This 1861 work of “J-History” if you will, features little-known events like JOHN ADAMS FACING A GIANT SNAKE (left) and George Washington hitting a tiger. It also corrects the mistaken assumption that Washington’s wife was named Martha when her real name was apparently “Carol.” (?)  

Balladeer’s Blog’s Presidential Action and Horror Films bit only WISHES it could be this mind-bending. Credit Nick Kapur with drawing attention to this item from the Waseda University Library.

My favorite part: the illustration of Benjamin Franklin casually HOLDING A CANNON IN HIS ARMS while firing it at a squadron of Red Coats! Now that’s badass. And begs for a movie – “The Rock IS Benjamin Franklin!” And he’d have to follow up blowing away the Brits with an action hero quip like “A penny saved is a penny earned, you bastards!”  

To see every page of this acid trip AND Continue reading →

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Filed under humor, Neglected History, Samurai Films

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NJCAA BOWL GAMES FOR 2018

Balladeer’s Blog’s look at post-season college football for 2018 continues with the upcoming Bowl Games in the NJCAA.

East Mississippi College Lions helmet profileNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The number 1 defending National Champions, the EAST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE LIONS, will do battle with the number 2 team in the nation, the GARDEN CITY COLLEGE garden-city-broncbusters-helmet-newBRONCBUSTERS.

Yes, the two most recent National Champs will be squaring off for the 2018 title! It happens on Thursday night, November 29th at 8pm Eastern Time. 

Hutchinson Blue DragonsSALT CITY BOWL

The 13th ranked HUTCHINSON COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS are going to take on the NAVARRO COLLEGE BULLDOGS. Two storied college football programs fighting it out. Continue reading →

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AMERICAN PRESIDENTS EISENHOWER THROUGH TRUMP

Mascot with demo and repub headsA large number of first-time readers have discovered Balladeer’s Blog recently and some of them have expressed confusion since I trash both Republicans and Democrats. Here’s one of my biggest hits – a tongue-in-cheek look at U.S. Presidents from Eisenhower to Trump so newbies can see that, yes, Virginia, I DO take shots at both major political parties.

  

EisenhowerDWIGHT EISENHOWER

Character Type: Well-meaning but befuddled sitcom grandfather.

Military Service: World War One and World War Two

Motto: “FOOORE!” (Remember,  the traditional cry as you’re teeing off in golf? Oh, never mind!)

Nickname: Uncle Milty

Pro: Knew enough to distrust Richard Nixon long before it became the national pasttime. 

Con: Was the first president to pronounce nuclear as “nucular”.

john f kennedyJOHN F KENNEDY

Character Type: Rich playboy who disdained both Liberals and Conservatives and played by his own rules.

Military Service: World War Two

Motto: “Thank God for television!”

Nickname: FDR  

Pro: The man was shrewd enough to distrust both liberals and conservatives equally. I can’t praise that attitude highly enough given our present circumstances.  Continue reading →

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Filed under humor, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion, Presidential Rap Sheets

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF TEAMS IN NCAA DIVISION THREE FOR 2018

Balladeer’s Blog presents the 32 playoff teams in NCAA Division Three and their opening round opponents for this Saturday.

Whitewater Warhawks helmet newUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT WHITEWATER

Team Name – WARHAWKS

First Round Opponents – Eureka College

Eureka red devilsEUREKA COLLEGE

Team Name – RED DEVILS

First Round Opponents – UW-Whitewater

St Norbert College Green KnightsSAINT NORBERT COLLEGE

Team Name – GREEN KNIGHTS

First Round Opponents – Trine University  Continue reading →

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DURAN DURAN: GIRLS ON FILM

Balladeer’s Blog’s Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead returns with a look at the Duran Duran song Girls on Film. 

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Filed under opinion

2018 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF TEAMS IN NCAA DIVISION TWO

Here are the 28 teams in the 2018 playoff field in NCAA Division Two. The four 1 Seeds get a Bye in this Saturday’s First Round.

Minnesota State MavericksONE SEEDS – The MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS (overall top seed), the NOTRE DAME COLLEGE FALCONS, the VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS and the OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY TIGERS.

SUPER REGION FOUR OPENING ROUND GAMES

Tarleton State Texans helmetAzusa Pacific CougarsThe 2nd seeded TARLETON STATE TEXANS

will face the 7 seeds – the AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY COUGARS

Minnesota-DuluthThe 3rd seeded UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AT DULUTHTexas A&M Commerce Lions BULLDOGS

will face the 6 seeds – the TEXAS A&M AT COMMERCE LIONS (Defending Champs) Continue reading →

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NAIA COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF TEAMS FOR 2018

It’s that time of year again! Balladeer’s Blog will, of course, offer coverage of every game in the NAIA playoffs. Here are this Saturday’s 8 Round One matchups.

Morningside Mustangs(1) The MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS

Great Plains Athletic Conference Champions

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Rocky Mountain College(16) The ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE BATTLIN’ BEARS

Frontier Conference Champions

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Marian Knights helmet new(2) The MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS

MSFA Mideast Division Champions

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saint-xavier-cougars-helmet-new(15) The SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS

MSFA Midwest Division Champions

. Continue reading →

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RANDOM WEIRDNESS V

OUT – Rapping their knuckles with a ruler.  IN – Pumping the little bastards full of lead.

Cleopatra Wong

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WORLD WAR ONE: SOME INTRIGUING BOOKS

With today’s marking of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War here are some books on that often neglected topic. (I will omit Barbara Tuchman’s Guns of August because of how well-known it is.) 

Hat in the Ring GangTHE HAT IN THE RING GANG: THE COMBAT HISTORY OF THE 94th AERO SQUADRON IN WORLD WAR ONE – Written by Charles Woolley, this excellent book covers America’s 94th Aero Squadron aka The Hat in the Ring Gang.

When it comes to Flying Aces of World War One the Americans in the Lafayette Escadrille get the lion’s share of the attention. That’s ironic since Eddie Rickenbacker, America’s greatest ace of the war, served in the Hat in the Ring Gang along with many other famous paladins of the skies. To buy it click HERE 

Doughboy WarDOUGHBOY WAR: THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN WORLD WAR I – Written/ edited by James H Hallas. I feel this book is perfect for people who are just diving into World War One and don’t want inundated with all of the overwhelming details of more involved works. Doughboy War covers every aspect of American soldiers’ experiences in the Great War, often in their own words.

Follow them from enlistment, training and crossing the Atlantic to facing action in Europe, including accounts of the ordeals faced by wounded Doughboys. To buy it click HERE    Continue reading →

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HAPPY VETERANS DAY 2018

Veterans DayWell, it’s been ONE HUNDRED YEARS since November 11th, 1918 saw the end of World War One, or the Great War as it was called before anyone knew a second global conflict would occur. As we all know the date eventually became designated as the day for honoring the people who make it possible for the rest of us to lead our lives in relative safety. 

Irrational political partisans often forget that the only reason any of them have the luxury of sitting back and making pompous, self-righteous pronouncements is because of the men and women who go out and actually DO something.  Continue reading →

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Filed under Neglected History