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SOME MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS FROM THE PHILIPPINE WAR (1899-1902)

Medal of HonorMemorial Day Weekend is just a week away.

In keeping with my blog’s theme of addressing items that slip through the cultural cracks I’m showcasing a few of the Congressional Medal of Honor winners from the neglected war fought in the Philippines from 1899 to 1902.

Hiram BearssHIRAM BEARSS (Correct spelling) – This Captain won the Medal for his actions on November 17th,1901 during a battle at the confluence of the Sohotan and Cadacan Rivers in Samar. Bearss led his men in a surprise attack on the enemy positions in the fortified cliffs. Relying mostly on bamboo ladders the Captain and his troops drove their opposition from their entrenched positions, literally “charging uphill” against enemy fire.

They also had to contend with the countless booby-traps lining the hills, many of which had been in place since the Spanish- American War of 1898. Those deadly traps took the form of pits, poison- tipped spears, trip-sprung vine nets loaded down with literally tons of stones and many others. The opposition in the caves honeymooning the cliffs needed rooting out as well with various forms of death lurking around every twist and turn in the caverns.

Following that Bearss and his men kept up their advance, seizing gunpowder and arms in addition to food and other supplies before driving the enemy forces out of their secondary positions in the cliffs. The U.S. forces had never penetrated so far before. Bearss went on to serve in World War One.

FRANK L ANDERS – Corporal Anders served in the storied unit remembered as Young’s Scouts. He was decorated for actions taken on May 13th, 1899 in Luzon. The Corporal and ten other Americans stormed 300 – yes – THREE HUNDRED – of the enemy and, in a case of truth REALLY being stranger than fiction, they attacked so ferociously they drove their hundreds of foemen into retreat. Continue reading →

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USCAA WORLD SERIES CHAMPS CROWNED

Penn State Dubois logoCHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The title game in the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) was played between the 6th seeded PENN STATE AT DUBOIS NITTANY LIONS and the 2 seeds – the NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS.

The Builders forced this decisive game after defeating PSU-Dubois 4-3. Continue reading →

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DURAN DURAN: A VIEW TO A KILL

It’s another edition of Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead! This time it’s Duran Duran with their James Bond song A View To A Kill. 

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USCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: DAY THREE RESULTS

newportnewsapprentice-school-builderDAY THREE: GAME ONE – The 2 seeds – the NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS – battled for survival against the top seeded UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI AT CLERMONT COUGARS.

The 1st Inning ended in a 1-1 tie before the Cougars went on top 2-1 in the 2nd and 3-1 in the 4th. The Builders made it a 3-2 game in the 5th Inning only to see UC-Clermont pull away to 4-2 in the 6th. A 4-run 7th Inning for Newport News Apprentice School wound up giving them a 6-4 victory for Pitcher Mike Brumfield. Continue reading →

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AVENGERS: THE KREE-SKRULL WAR PART FOUR

FOR PART ONE OF THIS LOOK AT THE KREE-SKRULL WAR (1971-1972) CLICK HERE 

Avengers 92THE AVENGERS Volume One, Number 92 (September 1971)

AVENGERS ROSTER: THOR (Donald Blake, MD), IRON MAN (Tony Stark), CAPTAIN AMERICA (Steve Rogers), THE SCARLET WITCH (Wanda), GOLIATH (Clint Barton), QUICKSILVER (Pietro), THE VISION (Not Applicable), CAPTAIN MARVEL (Mar-Vell, Kree Captain)

NOTE: CAPTAIN MARVEL IS THE HERO THAT NICK FURY SUMMONED TO FIGHT THANOS IN THE POST-CREDITS SCENE TO AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.

In this superhero-crazed world you readers have made it clear you want more Marvel items. 

ALL THINGS MUST END

Captain Marvel 2Synopsis: We pick up several days after the Avengers and their old civilian ally, rock singer Rick Jones, saved the world from Ronan the Accuser. Ronan was the new ruler of the alien Kree Empire after a coup d’état. When his plan was stymied by the Avengers, Ronan was forced to retreat back to Hala, the homeworld of the Kree Empire, because the Kree’s ancient foes the Skrulls had launched attacks on every Kree-held planet in the galaxy.

The Scarlet Witch, Goliath (formerly Hawkeye), Quicksilver, the Vision and Captain Marvel are enjoying down time at Avengers Mansion. Soon their butler Jarvis brings their attention to newscasts stating that the Avengers are being investigated by the U.S. government and the U.N.

Word has leaked from a Senator named H Warren Craddock and from the technicians the Avengers swore to confidentiality following last issue’s action. The entire world now knows about how the alien race called the Kree attempted to destroy the Earth.

Captain Marvel’s status as a renegade Kree captain helps draw attention to the Avengers and his place with them. Not helping the situation is the way Captain Marvel – aka Kree Starfleet Captain Mar-Vell – impersonated Earth scientist Doctor Walter Lawson as part of his original mission to infiltrate NASA at Cape Canaveral.

That circumstance inevitably leads to suspicion about how many other alien Kree may be infiltrating Earth bases, fanning the inevitable Witch Hunt. 

Of course, our heroes know that eventually Mar-Vell sympathized with us primitive Earth creatures and sided with US against his own homeworld. Evidence links Captain Marvel to the frequent hostile alien activity at Cape Canaveral in recent years (in Mar-Vell’s own comic book) but in reality Captain Marvel was fighting that hostile activity, not participating in it. 

Craddock’s fiery public accusations against the Avengers even imply that the reason the Avengers tried to impose a National Security blackout on the Kree attack in northern Alaska was really just to try to protect their member Captain Marvel from suspicion. (Marvel Comics has ret-conned several times if Mar-Vell was officially an Avenger by this point. I’m proceeding with him as a member since the whole story makes more sense if he is.)    Continue reading →

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USCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: DAY TWO RESULTS

Cleary University CougarsDAY TWO: GAME ONE – The 5 seeds – the CLEARY UNIVERSITY PROWLING COUGARS – faced the top seeded UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI AT CLERMONT COUGARS to start Day Two.

An action-packed 1st Inning ended with the Prowling Cougars on top 3-2, with UC-Clermont tying things up at 3-3 in the 2nd. Unfazed, Cleary University piled on FIVE runs in the 3rd Inning and 1 more in the 5th, then rode those runs to a 9-3 Upset win. Gunnar Gail pitched an entire game for the Prowling Cougars. 

Penn State Dubois logoDAY TWO: GAME TWO – From a case of Cougar on Cougar violence to a battle of cats and dogs. The 6th seeded PENN STATE AT DUBOIS NITTANY LIONS took the diamond against the 10 seeds – the SELMA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS.

The Bulldogs grabbed a 2-1 edge in the 1st Inning and then made that a 3-1 advantage in the 4th. In the bottom of the 5th Inning the Nittany Lions went up 5-3 and added 2 more runs in the 6th while shutting out Selma U the rest of the way. PSU-Dubois won it by a final score of 7-3 for Pitcher Toner Corl.   Continue reading →

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USCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: DAY ONE RESULTS

Mississippi University for Women OwlsDAY ONE: GAME ONE – The 10th seeded MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN OWLS (co-ed despite the name) faced off with the 9 seeds – the FLORIDA NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CONQUISTADORS, with both teams making their first appearance in the USCAA World Series.

By the 2nd Inning the Owls held a 3-0 lead but the Conquistadors cut that to 3-1 in the 3rd. The 4th Inning saw Florida National University explode for SIX runs, taking a 7-4 lead after MUW’s at-bats. The Owls made it a 7-6 game in the 5th before the Conquistadors extended their lead to 9-6 in the 6th Inning. Four runs for MUW in the 7th gave them a 10-9 victory for Pitcher Eiland Cleckler, nickname: “That’s Not A Typo!”  Continue reading →

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FLASH FICTION: SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY BY MAY 31st FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN $3,000

Flash Fiction

 

DETAILS: Continue reading →

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COLLEGE BASEBALL: NAIA PLAYOFF TEAMS

BOWLING GREEN BRACKET

USAO Drover newTop Seed: UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND ARTS OF OKLAHOMA DROVERS   

2. CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY TIGERS    ###     3. REINHARDT UNIVERSITY EAGLES (Should be the Rottweilers)    ###    4. BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY BRUINS    ###    5. MIDLAND UNIVERSITY WARRIORS    ### 

HATTIESBURG BRACKET

St Thomas (Fl) Bobcats logoTop Seed: SAINT THOMAS (FL) UNIVERSITY BOBCATS     

2. WESTMONT COLLEGE WARRIORS (Should be the Guardians)    ###    3. INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST GRENADIERS    ###     4. LSU-SHREVEPORT PILOTS (Riverboat Pilots)    ###     5. WILLIAM CAREY UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS    ###    

KINGSPORT BRACKET

southeastern university fireTop Seed: SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY FIRE  

2. TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS    ###     3. MADONNA UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS    ###     4. CLARKE UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS    ###     5. TRINITY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE TROLLS    ###     Continue reading →

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! LOVE, GEORGE (1973)

Despite the movie poster's warning this flick won't even untie your shoelaces. It’s Balladeer’s Blog’s semi-annual Mother’s Day post! 

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! LOVE, GEORGE (1973) – Category: Bad movie elevated by kitsch value in the casting.

Directed by THE Darren McGavin and featuring his wife Kathie Browne in a small role, this hilariously bizarre film is also known as Run, Stranger, Run. “Run, Potential Viewer, Run” would be a more appropriate title. 

Happy Mother’s Day Love, George  (henceforth HMDLG) is often described as a psycho-sexual thriller but actually it is nothing more than a melodramatic soap opera with a few murders and VERY few scenes of blood and gore. Those blood and gore scenes are so over-the-top they are completely at odds with the low-key, almost made-for-tv mildness of the rest of the movie.

This was a theatrical release but is so subdued and slow-paced it seems like a telefilm. You and your friends can keep yourselves entertained making jokes about the recognizable cast members to kill time since the first murder doesn’t happen until we’re more than an hour into this flick.

masc graveyard newRon Howard IS Johnny, a teenager who has come to town to discover who his birth parents are but who mostly just stands around staring at people and ESPECIALLY at houses. He seems completely taken aback that the townspeople find this somewhat creepy. Johnny is intrigued by the rash of missing persons plaguing the small town and feels they are connected to the secret of his past.

Cloris Leachman IS Ronda (no “h”), Johnny’s real mother, as we learn very early in the film. Ronda is in such dire financial straits she had to hock the “h” in her name for rent money. (I’m kidding!) She never speaks to her sister, sleeps with a gigolo passing through town and serves up meals along with expository dialogue. Continue reading →

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