This morning WLBOTT held a private viewing of the 1972 Franco Zeffirelli movie Brother Son, Sister Moon. It is a profoundly beautiful movie, and it left it’s emotional impact on us. But first, we must ask:Q: How cool is the Austin Public Library?A: Very cool. Historical Accuracy We asked Elder G to sync up scenes […]
Category: History
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The Bison
Writing about the North American prairie in yesterday’s blott got us thinking about the American bison. It is in many ways a sad story, filled with cruelty, hubris and the genocidal fervor of American hegemony. But it is also a story of hope. The WLBOTT research team first needed to correct our own misconception: the […]
Yesterday we learned that German mathematician Emmy Noether taught at one of the Seven Sisters colleges, Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Let’s take a look at the Seven Sisters Colleges, and, most importantly, which college has the best dorm cafeteria. Elder G Nets It Out For Us The Seven Sisters Colleges have a rich and […]
[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 […]
[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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]