Category Archives: What Nots

Folkmanis’s Mouse with Vest

I am here today to speak of Rodents of an Unusual Size. No, not the ones that the hero battles in the Swamp in William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, but rather the far more adorable ones that came in recently … Continue reading

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Folkmanis: Four Finger Puppets

A group of Folkmanis finger puppets appeared on my desk recently. These came without the usual tags — they are all quite small — so I did a bit or research on them. Here they are, in no articular otder. … Continue reading

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James Green’s The Male Herbal

James Green’s The Male Herbal: Health Care for Men and Boys is an interesting addition to the literature of alternative medicine. His focus is intentionally limited to a group that, believe it or not, could quite possibly be underserved – … Continue reading

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Andrew Chevallier’s The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants

Until the last fifty years or so, people relied almost exclusively on plants as medicines, not only for minor, common ailments, but for potentially life-threatening illnesses as well.  In fact, most of our prescription drugs are based on compounds found … Continue reading

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Chicago’s Field Museum of Natura History: Inside Ancient Egypt

As we traverse Stanley Field Hall, the central main-floor atrium of the Field Museum of Natural History, we notice off in the southwest corner, behind a row of arches, what looks to be an ancient Egyptian mastaba. Well, close — … Continue reading

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Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History: Traveling the Pacific

The Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water on the planet, at its widest stretching about 11,000 miles across — almost half the diameter of the earth. This is just one of the fun facts that lead into the … Continue reading

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Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History: Restoring Earth

We tend to think of museums as places that display artifacts, sometimes on the walls, sometimes in cases, with descriptions of varying degrees of completeness on labels next to the objects. That is also true to a large extent of … Continue reading

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Two period novels for your delectation: David Liss, and Barbara Monajem

The Peculiarities by David Liss is a strong steampunk story about Victorian magicians, featuring Aleister Crowley and other lights of the era. Thomas Thresher, a formerly well-heeled idler now enslaved in his family’s bank, has a lot of problems. His … Continue reading

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Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History: The Cyrus Tang Hall of China

No, I don’t know who Cyrus Tang is, or was, but I suspect this exhibition is named for him because a major portion came from his collection. That said, the exhibition itself gives an overview of the history of China … Continue reading

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seven20’s Thirteenth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver

I fell in love with the Thirteenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver the moment I saw it. It’s a groovy bit of steampunk and crystal, and I wanted one immediately. My editor was obviously attuned to my craven covetousness, and sent me … Continue reading

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