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
ALL-STAR COMICS #7 (October 1941) 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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 
ARCHBISHOP TURPIN OF RHEIMS – This Paladin was the legendary “Battling Bishop” who fought alongside Charlemagne and his other men in the field. 
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 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. 
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. 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS welcomed the NOTRE DAME COLLEGE FALCONS yesterday. The Blazers grabbed a 9-0 lead in the opening Quarter only to see the Falcons eke out a 10-9 edge by Halftime. Valdosta State exploded for a 30-17 advantage to end the 3rd Quarter, then held on from there for a 30-24 triumph. The Blazers showed once again why the Gulf Coast Conference is called “the SEC of D2 Football.” 
ANNI CYRUS, IRANIAN-BORN CRITIC OF SHARIA LAW – Another member of the real-life League of Extraordinary Women, Anni Cyrus was in the news again, this time for her 2018 Anti-Sharia Law Tour. 
THE JET BENNY SHOW – Balladeer’s Blog’s reviews of bad and weird movies are still very popular. 
NON-DILLINGER: QUICK TAKES ON OTHER GANGSTERS OF HIS ERA – In keeping with Balladeer’s Blog’s tradition of examining topics which slip through the cultural cracks this blog post looked at some of the 1930s gangsters overshadowed by John Dillinger’s legend. 
THE RATINGS GAME – I reviewed this overlooked comedy from 1984. 
JOURNALIST SHARYL ATTKISSON’S COURAGEOUS EXPOSURE OF OBAMA’S COUNTLESS SCANDALS AND CRIMES – Strong female role model and 21st Century Ida Tarbell, Sharyl Attkisson refused to be intimidated by the Obama Administration’s thugs. 
JIMMY KIMMEL: THE BALLADEER’S BLOG INTERVIEW – Relentlessly unfunny waste of biomass Jimmy Kimmel is a truly disgusting human being. 
ALL-STAR COMICS #6 (August 1941) 
The heroes have to save Johnny from counterfeiters, bank robbers, extortionists, thieves dressed in gorilla costumes and headless zombies created by a mad scientist. (Shades of G-8 and His Battle Aces!) In the end, with all the criminals defeated, Johnny Thunder becomes a full member of the JSA. God knows why. 
