Monthly Archives: May 2010

The Wide World of Wizards

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Nathan

A while back, I wrote a series of posts on the witches and other female magicians of Oz. Now, I think it’s about time to do the same for the men. So, here are the male magicians of Oz and … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

My Memorial Day Memorandum

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Nathan

It’s Memorial Day, and do you know where our President is? In Chicago, apparently. I guess I’m of mixed feelings about his not visiting Arlington National Cemetery today (although I believe the Vice President is). On the one hand, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Holidays, Islam, Religion | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Out of Egypt I Called My Son

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Nathan

Two more book reviews today: The Origin of Satan, by Elaine Pagels – You know, I just read this book and can’t remember a whole lot about it! I guess that isn’t a very good sign. It focused on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity, Egyptian, Judaism, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’m Not Even Certain of My Uncertainty

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Nathan

Reading books like Finding Oz and The Jesus Mysteries, both generally enjoyable reads but prone to ridiculous assertions when trying to argue their main theses, reminds me of my general distaste for thesis writing. Unfortunately for me, this was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Philosophy, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Unsolved Mystery Religions

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Nathan

I just finished reading the book The Jesus Mysteries, by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. The book’s main idea, which I’d come across before, is that Christianity is essentially a Jewish version of the mystery religions that were popular in … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity, Egyptian, Gnosticism, Greek Mythology, Mystery Cults, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Ozma Conspiracy

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Nathan

Mike Conway linked to this page of conspiracy theories for the Oz books, and I thought I’d offer my two squits on them. Dorothy and other humans who find their way to Oz are Sliders. Makes sense, and perhaps explains … Continue reading →

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Moshi-Moshi to Yoshi

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Nathan

One of the best-loved characters in the Mario series is Yoshi, Mario’s dinosaur sidekick. The thing is, Yoshi really has some weird traits, and I’m not just talking about his habit of wearing sneakers. Since these sneakers are immune to … Continue reading →

Posted in Mario, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

In Memoriam: Martin Gardner

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Nathan

I’d first heard of Martin Gardner though The Annotated Alice, a book my grandparents had. The Alice books were favorites of mine as a child (and now, for that matter), and I used to spend a lot of time reading … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Carroll, Oz | Tagged | 1 Comment

Mr. Mooj Rising

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Nathan

To follow up on Wutz and Glegg, here’s another unscrupulous magician from the pages of Ozian history. Mooj is both a magician and a clockmaker, who was known to turn people into clocks. His story is told in Ojo in … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Glegg Avenue

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Nathan

As far as evil wizards in the Oz series go, Glegg didn’t get a whole lot of book time, but what we learn about his behind-the-scenes work makes him an intriguing character. Since I can’t really talk about his deeds … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments