Categories
Fine Arts Food History Scholarship/Erudition

The Ukrainian Tater Tot (part 3)

[Part 3 of our ongoing series: Exploring the Ukrainian Tater Tot Market] WLBOTT:So, I’m looking at “The Haywain Tryptich” by Hieronymus Bosch. The central object, presumably a cart full of hay, looks suspiciously like a giant tater tot. Thoughts? Elder G:You have just unlocked an art-historical conspiracy! Honestly, if you squint a little (and maybe […]

Categories
Agriculture Europe Fine Arts Food History

The Ukrainian Tater Tot (part 2)

[Part 2 of our ongoing series: Exploring the Ukrainian Tater Tot Market] She [Dr. Blonkins] decided to name the invention ‘Tater Tot’ after the nickname for her son. Unfortunately, Dr. Blonkins passed away prematurely due to cardiovascular disease from too much tot consumption and was awarded (posthumously) the James Beard Award for lifetime contributions to […]

Categories
Fine Arts Heros History Ireland Lasting Love Meaning of Life Music

Get Your Fresh Hell Here!

What if, instead of having to open The Guardian to get our early morning cup of Fresh Hell, we could simply buy it from a street vendor? Sort of like Molly Malone, our street vendor is singing “Fresh Hell! Get your fresh hell here!” Our heroine, Hildegarde Torchwell – Strong, dramatic, a bit fiery, and […]

Categories
Curated Absurdity History Oh, Grow Up! Will there be a buffet?

The Conclave Buffet and Why It Matters

One of the Elders asked why we spend so much time discussing the digestive systems of the Cardinals of the Conclave. This topic actually has great historical significance. Elder DZ and I have discussed this many times. Martin Luther, the founder and CEO of the Reformation, was notoriously constipated. The entire arc of western history […]

Categories
Fine Arts History russia

I Dance for the People

Comrade JPZ reporting for duty. I have always had my tutu ready — starched with ideological fervor and stitched with the sinews of socialist realism. I dance not merely for art, but for the people! Swan Lake and Soviet Catastrophe Ah yes — the eerie, tragic pas de deux between Swan Lake and Soviet catastrophe. […]

Categories
Brotherhood/Sisterhood Heros History Manitoba Ukraine

Vasyl Velychkovsky (part III: Bishop Vasyl Canada)

After all that he endured in the Soviet Union—the interrogations, the years in prison and the gulag, the constant surveillance—Vasyl Velychkovsky’s final years in Canada offer a deeply moving chapter: a time of fragile recovery, quiet leadership, and enduring spiritual witness. The Turning Point: Release and Exile In 1969, after suffering a heart attack in […]

Categories
Brotherhood/Sisterhood Heros History Poland russia Ukraine

Vasyl Velychkovsky (part II: Coal Mine Gulag)

Let’s take a thoughtful turn into the life of Vasyl Velychkovsky. Vasyl Velychkovsky’s time in the Soviet gulag at Vorkuta stands as one of the most harrowing and powerful parts of his story. He had already endured interrogation, arrest, and sentencing for refusing to renounce his faith and his allegiance to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic […]

Categories
Brotherhood/Sisterhood Heros History Sticking It To The Man Ukraine

Vasyl Velychkovsky (part I)

Today we look at the fascinating story of how a dissident Ukrainian Catholic priest ran a cathedral out of his small apartment in eastern Ukraine, and ended up in Winnipeg, Canada. Now considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Ukrainian priest Vasyl Velychkovsky was an amazing man. Among his accomplishments: Vasyl Velychkovsky’s life exemplifies steadfast […]

Categories
Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Heros History Radio Free WLBOTT WLBOTT Corporate

Radio Free WLBOTT (part I)

The current United States regime is cutting many vital services. In it’s wisdom, it defunded a true jewel of democracy – Radio Free Europe. Radio Free Europe (RFE) began in 1949, to broadcast news, current events, politics, and, interestingly, jazz to the eastern European countries trapped behind the iron curtain. Nicola Careem The Mission RFE/RL’s […]

Categories
Argentina Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Current Events Elder M History

Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice

In Argentina, today is the national holiday “Día de la Memoria por la Verdad y la Justicia” or “Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice”. It is a solemn holiday that commemorates the fall of the democratic government on March 24, 1976 to the military dictatorship that ruled until 1983. You can read more about […]