Monthly Archives: November 2016

Art with Brains and Courage

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Nathan

After my post on books in Oz, Paul Dana suggested that I write one about the performing arts in that fairyland. It’s a good idea, but they aren’t really covered all that much in the books. I’ve looked previously at … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Dennis Anfuso, Dick Martin, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Eric Shanower, Gina Wickwar, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Live Shows, March Laumer, Music, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Plays, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Today You Are a Man

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Nathan

I knew about Tiresias being temporarily turned into a woman, but another sex change in the world of Greek mythology that I just recently found out about is that of Caenis of Thessaly. There are two different accounts of her … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender, Greek Mythology, Mythology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Headliner We All Know for the Holy Halftime Show

Posted on November 26, 2016 by Nathan

Beth’s Uncle John gave me two new albums (well, new to me, anyway; and I do think they were both 2016 releases) for my birthday, so I figured I might as well say a bit about them. Jack and Amanda … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Amanda Palmer, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Books Within Books

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Nathan

One of Robert Pattrick’s essays in Unexplored Territory in Oz, “Books in Oz,” discusses just what it sounds like. It’s interesting to examine what books characters IN books read. Since fantasy adventure stories often don’t have a lot of down … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Chris Dulabone, Dennis Anfuso, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Wish We Were Going to Candy Apple Island

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Nathan

King Kong – I finally watched the classic 1933 film, and I have to wonder how much my own take on the movie reflects the creators’ intentions. I saw it as a condemnation on cruelty to animals and exploitation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Cartoons, Monsters, Prejudice, Television, The Simpsons, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Church of the Assumption

Posted on November 20, 2016 by Nathan

I have to say I have trouble understanding arguments like these that totally misrepresent scientific theories. Sure, if you want to really simplify things, elements forged by stars eventually formed themselves into planets and other matter, which would include dinosaurs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Bang, Christianity, Evolution, Fundamentalism, Religion, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No One Remembers Your Name When You’re Strange

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Nathan

Doctor Strange – WARNING! SPOILERS! – Beth and I saw the latest Marvel Studios movie last night, and one of the first things that struck me was how similar Stephen Strange was to Gregory House. Of course, Strange was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Comics, Magic, Names, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Loyalty to Royalty

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Nathan

I like to make connections between pretty much everything and the Oz books, although usually the parallels aren’t that close. It works out better when I connect them to The Simpsons. People are saying the show predicted President Trump, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Characters, Current Events, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Politics, Prejudice, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Television, The Simpsons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Not Cool Enough for School

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Nathan

Last night’s Family Guy was about the anti-vaccination movement, which I’ve written a bit about before. That isn’t what this post is about, but it’s interesting in that it has supporters from both sides of the political spectrum. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Education, Family Guy, Religion, Snobbery, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Nathan

The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler – This story is essentially an adaptation of the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, looking at the tale from a different perspective and bringing in a thirteenth sister as the main protagonist. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Comics, Fairy Tales, Feminism, Humor, Monsters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment