Joel Swagman (Reviews / TESOL)

So, I got this in my inbox this afternoon:

It was not completely unexpected. I had known that I didn't have the 3 qualifying purchases, and that my time was running out to get them. And in fact, I had anticipated this might happen even back in February, as I wrote at the time.

Just in case anyone is curious, for the record it looks like I only got 1 qualifying purchase during my 180 days. And it actually wasn't even something I had linked to, it was for a piano accessory. I'm guessing someone must have followed one of my links over to Amazon, and then stayed browsing on Amazon. Even though they bought something else, it apparently still counted as one of my qualifying purchases. So thank you, whoever that was. Because I never got the other two qualifying purchases, I never qualified for the comission, but had I qualified, I would have gotten 43 cents off of that purchase. Which is, of course, a reminder of just how little money one can expect to make off of a blog, even under the best of circumstances.

In spite of all of this, however, I've decided to go ahead and re-apply and try again. Because it never hurts to keep trying, because every little bit (potentially) helps, and because, as I wrote back in February, I like the idea of giving my readers a link to Amazon regardlesss--it makes it easy for them to check out whatever it is I'm talking about.

The good news is that it's very easy to just reapply for the Amazon Associate's program.

The bad news is that all of my old Amazon Associate's links are no longer valid. So if you click on a link from an old blog post, that no longer counts.

At the moment, I've decided I'm not going to bother updating my old links--that's just too big of a project. So, I've changed the label on all those posts from Contains Amazon Associates Link to Contains Now Defunct Amazon Associates Link. And I will be deleting the old links in my Amazon Associate's Links index and starting over.

For the record (just for posterity's sake), all of the old defunct links are listed down below. These links should all "work" in the sense that they will take you to the appropriate product page, but I no longer get a comission off of them. I present them below just for historical interest.

Books

* A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles--Link: https://amzn.to/41Dhn0e

* A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel--Link: https://amzn.to/41VoUax

* An Oresteia translated by Anne Carson--Link: https://amzn.to/4fkrABU

* Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm--Link: https://amzn.to/3Y4ggUq

* Atra-Hasis: The Babylonian Story of the Flood--Link: https://amzn.to/43HNJay

* Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek--Link: https://amzn.to/3FeFs4q

* Babylonian Creation Myths by W.G. Lambert--Link: https://amzn.to/3Y7FYYs

* Bone: Quest for the Spark Book 1 by Tom Sniegoski and Jeff Smith--Link: https://amzn.to/4j3dYxU

* Bone: Quest for the Spark Book 2--Link: https://amzn.to/4gQNDS5

* Bone: Quest for the Spark Book 3--Link: https://amzn.to/42cMW0T

* Candide by Voltaire--Link: https://amzn.to/3DlyrOu

* Circe by Madeline Miller--Link: https://amzn.to/4fgzQTm

* Classical Tragedy - Greek and Roman: Eight Plays in Authoritative Modern Translations edited by Robert W. Corrigan--Link: https://amzn.to/4gD4Z4l

* Complete Spanish Step-By-Step by Barbara Bregstein--Link: https://amzn.to/3HBPM7B

* Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl--Link: https://amzn.to/4hS4aWg

* Dark is the Sun by Philip José Farmer--Link: https://amzn.to/3DfPD7r

* English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course by Peter Roach--Link: https://amzn.to/3Qn3BYr

* Enuma Elish Translated by W.G. Lambert with commentary by Ken Goudsward--Link: https://amzn.to/40tTDZW

* Epic of Anzu, Introduction by Amar Annus--Link: https://amzn.to/3F6aRpQ

* Essential Vietnamese Grammar by Tri C. Tran--Link: https://amzn.to/3FQY1fq

* Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad--Link: https://amzn.to/4jdFozS

* Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne--Link: https://amzn.to/3E8rBf5

* Kabumpo in Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson--Link: https://amzn.to/4kj810z

* Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann--Link: https://amzn.to/4inQfaG

* Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro--Link: https://amzn.to/4gAc8CA

* Ludlul bel Nemeqi: The Standard Babylonian Poem of the Righteous Sufferer translated by Amar Annus and Alan Lenzi--Link: https://amzn.to/4d6s5zY

* Man's Fate by Andre Malraux--Link: https://amzn.to/4iGO5Tt

* Matilda by Roald Dahl--Link: https://amzn.to/3DZyjnu

* Mayday 1971 by Lawrence Roberts--Link: https://amzn.to/4gCceKf

* Men Like Gods by H.G. Wells--Link: https://amzn.to/3DgOoFc

* Metamorphoses by Ovid--Link: https://amzn.to/4jMYY7l

* Mr American by George MacDonald Fraser--Link: https://amzn.to/3BX69ZN

* MTTC English as a Second Language (126) Secrets Study Guide by Mometrix--Link: https://amzn.to/3Qr9iVz

* NIV Student Bible--Link: https://amzn.to/43tZ5xD

* NIV Study Bible--Link: https://amzn.to/43zCIHa

* Peter Pan by James M. Barrie--Link: https://amzn.to/44A0g0u

* Pompeii by Robert Harris--Link: https://amzn.to/4hP5LvD

* R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conly--Link: https://amzn.to/4jzlRe2

* Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann & Mark Halperin--Link: https://amzn.to/4gfWUmh

* Racso and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conly--Link: https://amzn.to/4cqWvwt

* Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction by Lawrence Boadt--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZXz9cY

* Robin Hood by Henry Gilbert--Link: https://amzn.to/4ghzc9x

* Runes of the Lyre by Ardath Mayhar--Link: https://amzn.to/4igAy4P

* Scribblers, Sculptors, and Scribes by Richard LaFleur--Link: https://amzn.to/4h3T1kN

* Starlight Enclave by R.A. Salvatore--Link: https://amzn.to/3OVMMmX

* Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman--Link: https://amzn.to/4aGuSP3

* SLA Research and Language Teaching by Rod Ellis--Link: https://amzn.to/40BR61q

* Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language by Christine Nuttall--Link: https://amzn.to/3Dg3Dy9

* The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green--Link: https://amzn.to/4ghz5e7

* The Books Of Enoch--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZOUJ3y

* The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language by David Crystal--Link: https://amzn.to/3OYzZAc

* The Code of Hammurabi King of Babylon translated by Robert Francis Harper--Link: https://amzn.to/40ldzyi

* The Epic of Gilgamesh translated by Andrew George--Link: https://amzn.to/41xvK67

* The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course by Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman [Second Edition]--Link: https://amzn.to/4gftIw0

* The Holy Bible: The New Revised Standard Version (Updated Edition, with the Apocrypha)--Link: https://amzn.to/4gb90NB

* The Jerusalem Bible: Reader's Edition--Link: https://amzn.to/4fbgM92

* The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling--Link: https://amzn.to/3Bjqics

* The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle--Link: https://amzn.to/3DfQrsZ

* The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel--Link: https://amzn.to/4gBAN9Y

* The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins--Link: https://amzn.to/4iFsLPa

* The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology by Robin Hard--Link: https://amzn.to/3BJd6gS

* The Royal Book of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson--Link: https://amzn.to/4jw1VsY

* The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling--Link: https://amzn.to/3D6jujh

* The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller--Link: https://amzn.to/3Zyo5Sm

* The Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge--Link: https://amzn.to/4gXaWcr

* The Visitors from Oz by L. Frank Baum--Link: https://amzn.to/4i3zq4c

* Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong translated by Moss Roberts--Link: https://amzn.to/41DANSu

* Tides of War by Steven Pressfield--Link: https://amzn.to/4iDLVEP

* Tyrant by Valerio Massimo Manfredi--Link: https://amzn.to/3DfQ6Xf

* We Are Your Sons: The Legacy of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg by Robert and Michael Meeropol--Link: https://amzn.to/42wbMaO

* Wheelock's Latin: 7th Edition--Link: https://amzn.to/49CHuWU

* Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls--Link: https://amzn.to/436YfYv

* Woodstock Nation by Abbie Hoffman--Link: https://amzn.to/3QtJtnH

* Workbook for Wheelock's Latin 3rd Edition by Paul T. Comeau & Richard A. La Fleur--Link: https://amzn.to/42oJpfZ

Comic Books

* Adventures of the Gummi Bears: A New Beginning: Disney Afternoon Adventures Vol. 4--Link: https://amzn.to/3RolCGz

* Astro Boy Omnibus Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka--Link: https://amzn.to/4gD6IXg

* Avengers: No Surrender--Link: https://amzn.to/4iXbK38

* Batman: Knightfall Vol. 2: Knightquest--Link: https://amzn.to/4gDYC0Q

* Batman: Knightfall Vol. 3: Knightsend--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZBW4cx

* Bone Adventures by Jeff Smith--Link: https://amzn.to/4iXJVHW

* Bone: More Tall Tales by Jeff Smith with Tom Sniegoski--Link: https://amzn.to/49GCTTI

* Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski--Link: https://amzn.to/3Fyvlb0

* Bone 1: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith--Link: https://amzn.to/49RsJQd

* Bone 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith--Link: https://youtu.be/blA1kZVfEqA

* Bone 3: Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith--Link: https://amzn.to/4b2s1Qw

* Bone 4: The Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith--Link: https://amzn.to/44u1zxU

* Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney--Link: https://amzn.to/4gDAQCc

* Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZSWBbw

* Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes by Carl Barks--Link: https://amzn.to/3BzPv2j

* Doraemon's Long Tales Vol 8: Noby And The Dino Knights by Fujiko F. Fujio--Link: https://amzn.to/4gD6M9s

* Finn: Origins by Pat Mills and Tony Skinner--Link: https://amzn.to/3VIFCGq

* I Am Greta--Link: https://amzn.to/42j4d8w

* Invincible: Ultimate Collection Volume 1 by Robert Kirkman--Link: https://amzn.to/41JbBtE

* Marvel Platinum: The Definitive Shang-Chi--Link: https://amzn.to/4gmj3zz

* Masters of the Universe #2 (The Coming of the Meteorbs! Falling Stars, Vol. 1)--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZCxFDJ

* Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Volume 2: The Micro-World of Doctor Doom by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby--Link: https://amzn.to/3OXdYBx

* Muppet Babies Omnibus--Link: https://amzn.to/3Gkc3Gl

* Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi--Link: https://amzn.to/4gAvO9f

* Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi--Link: https://amzn.to/4fq2vFs

* Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg by Kate Evans--Link: https://amzn.to/3Wr2r1H

* Rose by Jeff Smith and Charles Vess--Link: https://amzn.to/4m936Ad

* Showcase Presents: Teen Titans 2--Link: https://amzn.to/3H63wHu

* Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails by Tom Sniegoski, Jeff Smith, Stan Sakai--Link: https://amzn.to/4kHQfUO

* Superman: Reign of the Supermen--Link: https://amzn.to/49ClwmV

* Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age: Volume 3--Link: https://amzn.to/4iCsVqu

* Teen Titans: The Silver Age Volume 1--Link: https://amzn.to/43AaA7T

* Teen Titans: The Silver Age Volume 2--Link: https://amzn.to/4di2eFr

* The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Volume 1: 1931-1933--Link: https://amzn.to/3WiEBFd

* The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 13: 1950-1951--Link: https://amzn.to/4hnKZTG

* The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 15: 1953-1954--Link: https://amzn.to/435xjZB

* The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 16: 1954-1956--Link: https://amzn.to/3EsMPVx

* The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 17: 1956-1957--Link: https://amzn.to/4n4RAX0

* The New Teen Titans Volume 1 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/4ayTLMz

* The New Teen Titans Volume 2 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/421QO4N

* The New Teen Titans Volume 3 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/40Y2Fjs

* The New Teen Titans Volume 4 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/3Eziqok

* The New Teen Titans Volume 5 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/4ft0B6Z

* The New Teen Titans Volume 6 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/4kPWzJT

* The New Teen Titans Volume 7 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/3FakmnS

* The New Teen Titans Volume 8 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/43Rt2sM

* The New Teen Titans Volume 9 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez--Link: https://amzn.to/3FAgkW8

* The Sandman Volume 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZXe8iI

* The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives: Volume 1 by Bob Haney, Nick Cardy and Bruno Premiani--https://amzn.to/4hc4YUU

* The Twin Knights by Osamu Tezuka--Link: https://amzn.to/4forFEm

* Thor Vol. 6: Blood of the Fathers--Link: https://amzn.to/3BVIAkg

DVDs

* A History of Britain (TV series)--Link: https://amzn.to/3RbZU8D

* Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Complete Series--Link: https://amzn.to/4fsfCG8

* And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZJdST9

* Antigone (1961)--Link: https://amzn.to/3VMS1sT

* Berkeley in the Sixties--Link: https://amzn.to/4gL5DwZ

* Charade--Link: https://amzn.to/4iFkQ4j

* Coco--Link: https://amzn.to/4i2Oz5L

* Darby O'Gill and the Little People--Link: https://amzn.to/42ui7ob

* Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog--Link: https://amzn.to/4ftIGNH

* He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Original Series--Link: https://amzn.to/41tJoHd

* He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: the Complete Series Remake DVD--Link: https://amzn.to/3DkMljo

* His Girl Friday--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZIfcWu

* Hoots--Link: https://amzn.to/4m0sgR9

* I, Claudius--Link: https://amzn.to/42Ee3C1

* Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs--Link: https://amzn.to/3R1933F

* J. Edgar--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZtHHHg

* Lawrence of Arabia--Link: https://amzn.to/41I6Kcy

* MacGyver--Link: https://amzn.to/43E3BeD

* Oedipus Rex (1957 film)--Link: https://amzn.to/3ZYd3am

* Path to War--Link: https://amzn.to/3DkBwOl

* Pete Seeger: The Power of Song--Link: https://amzn.to/3DlTS1D

* Roots: The Next Generations--Link: https://amzn.to/3S0SOUN

* Ruby Bridges--Link: https://amzn.to/3RtW3Ut

* Sesame Street: Mecha Builders--Link: https://amzn.to/42urvIu

* Soul--Link: https://amzn.to/42cDCZo

* Swamp Thing (1982)--Link: https://amzn.to/4iEYUGp

* The '60s--Link: https://amzn.to/41FWZLG

* The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones--Link: https://amzn.to/4iHybce

* The Founder--Link: https://amzn.to/3G3ZSx2

* The Killers--Link: https://amzn.to/4jgmkBl

* The Last Unicorn--Link: https://amzn.to/3Dos4cM

* The Outer Limits: The Complete Series (1995-2002)--Link: https://amzn.to/3DxHAmy

* The Phantom of the Opera (1925)--Link: https://amzn.to/402sBtC

* The Truman Show--Link: https://amzn.to/4i4vvUK

* The Untold History of the United States TV series by Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick--Link: https://amzn.to/4lyrZ7M

* The White Queen--Link: https://amzn.to/45di16c

* Tron: Legacy--Link: https://amzn.to/4gWIQOS

Amazon Prime

* He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)--Link: https://amzn.to/3BqFd4x

Revolutions Podcast--The Appendices: Mini-review

As part of my run through of all of Revolutions Podcast, I have now just finished the appendices section.

Incidentally, it's a bit unclear as to how to even refer to this section. itunes classifies the appendices as "Season 11" of the show, and I've seen some other websites also refer to the appendices as "Season 11". Certainly the appendices are long enough to be a whole season on their own--there are 12 appendix episodes, making it longer than the seasons on the July Revolution or the Paris Commune. But other websites, like Wikipedia, list the fictional Martian Revolution as Season 11. So I guess it depends who you ask. But Mike Duncan himself is referring to the Martian Revolution as Season 11, so I guess that's authorative.

The Appendices originally came out in the fall of 2022. They are 12 episodes which seek to put an analytical framework on the 10 revolutions that Mike Duncan had covered: What are the commonalities among the 10 revolutions covered? What have we learned about revolutions over the course of the series? Etc.

I was aware of these when they came out, but I opted not to listen to them at the time. I'm more of a narrative history guy, and so when these more analytical episodes started coming out, I figured I'd wait to listen to them.

It wasn't that I was totally disinterested in them, but at the time I was more concerned with catching up on the backlog of episodes. (I was still listening to The French Revolution at the time.) And I knew I'd catch up with the appendices once I did my run through of the whole series.

Well, here are.

The Appendices are very well done. Mike Duncan has put a lot of thought into them, and he's come up with some very detailed, and also very insightful, analysis on the nature of revolutions.

Now, I much prefer narratives myself, but that's just me. If I was a more intelligent person, maybe I would enjoy the analytical stuff more.

Actually even as it was, I didn't hate these analytical episodes. As I did some mindless chores, the episodes stimulated my brain, and gave me that pleasant feeling that you get when you are learning something interesting. In other words, they tickled my brain a little. They got me thinking about a few things.

But at the same time, I don't feel the need to listen to them 3 times through, like I did for the other seasons. Once was enough.

Now, before I finally finish this podcast, I'm off to listen to the Martian Revolution. I have a feeling that once will be enough for the Martian Revolution as well.

Joel Swagman (Reviews / TESOL)

Friday, June 13, 2025

Ghost Circles (Bone #7) by Jeff Smith: Book Review

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Old Man's Cave (Bone #6) by Jeff Smith: Book Review

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border (Bone #5) by Jeff Smith: Book Review

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 17: 1956-1957: Book Review

Monday, June 09, 2025

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