Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Oldest Stories Podcast: Review


Started: June 25, 2025





Links to things mentioned:
Oldest Stories Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@entirelyalive/videos







Related Playlists:




My listening progress, for anyone who is interested, is chronicled on my started post and also listed below:
1st Listening
June 25, 2025--Episode 12 – Anunnaki 3 Enlil Lord of Wind
June 27, 2025--Episode 16 – Lagash 2 Reform and Corruption in Lagash
June 28, 2025--OS 17 - Sargon Rising
June 29, 2025--OS 19 - Sargon at War
June 30--OS 20 Sargon, the Next Generation
July 1--OS 22 - Slanderous Legends of Naram-Sin
July 2--OS 23 - The Fall of Akkad
July 3--OS 24 - The Rebirth of Sumer
July 4--OS 27 - The Study of Sumer and Ancient Aliens
July 5--OS 28 - The Chamorros of Saipan
July 6--OS 29 - The Enuma Elish
July 7--OS 33 - A Time of Ritual and Law
July 8--OS 39 - The Merchants and Families of Assyria
July 9--OS 41 - Shamshi-Adad and the Upper Mesopotamian Empire
July 10--Bonus 1 - The Slaying of Illuyanka
July 11--OS 50 - Hammurabi's Code of Laws
July 12--OS 51 - The New Order
July 13--OS 52 - Theogony of Dunnu and the Education of Scribes
July 14--Bonus 3 - Lament for Ur
July 15--OS 61 - The Conqueror's Triumph and Death
July 16--OS 66 Enter the Arena
July 17--OS 70 - Mighty Monsters of Mitanni
July 18--OS 73 - Corruption in Nuzi
July 20--OS 74 - A New Dawn for Babylon
July 21--OS 77 - Idrimi's Adventure and Tudhaliya's Invasion
July 22--OS 82 - Suppiluliuma Irritates Egypt
July 23--OS 86 The Battle of Kadesh
July 24--OS 91 A Muddy Mesopotamian Mess
July 25--OS 95 Hattusili Secures His Legacy
July 26--OS 96 Fall of the Hittite Empire
July 28--Elamite 4 - Elamite Religion
July 29--Canaan 3 - The City of Ugarit
July 30--Canaan 8 - The Feast of Baal
July 31--Industry 2 - The Stuff of Life
August 1--An Overview of Bronze Age Mesopotamia
August 2--OS 98 - Nabu-Kudurri-Usur
August 3--OS 99 - The Legend of Nebuchadnezzar
August 4--OS 100 - The Babylonian Theodicy
August 5--OS 102 - A Bit More About Tiglath Pileser
August 6--OS 103 - The Babylonian Aristotle, Esagil-Kin-Apli
August 9--OS 105 Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad
August 11--OS 109 - Israel's Numbers Problem
August 12--OS 112 - Israel's Conquest and Integration in Canaan
August 13--OS 114 - Israel's Judges and Defeats
August 14--OS 115 - The Place of Faith in Biblical History
August 16--OS 117 - Israel's First King
August 18--OS 121 - Israel's Favorite King
August 19--OS 123 - Israel's Great High Priest
August 20--OS 125 - Israel's Divided Kingdoms
August 21--OS 127 - Israel's First Historical King
August 22--OS 129 - Israelite and Phoenician Prosperity
August 23--OS 130 Israel Runs Out of Names
August 24--Oldest Stories is Now a Book!
August 25--OS 132 Judah Ascends
August 26--The Book of Job in a Near Eastern Context
August 27--Isaiah 55
August 28--OS 134 - Poverty Pessimism, and Comedy in Ancient Mesopotamia
August 29--OS 135 - Middle Class Demons of Mesopotamia
September 1--OS 136 - The Fifty Shades of Marduk
September 2--OS 137 - The Oldest Dreams
September 3--OS 139- An Iron King for an Iron Age
September 4--OS 141- the Unintended Aramization of Assyria
September 5--OS 143 - Assurnasirpal Has Too Much Energy
September 8--Bonus: The Early History of New Eastern Cavalry
September 9--OS 148 - Shalmaneser Takes the Throne
September 10--OS 150 - The Battle of Qarqar
September 11--OS 152 - The Smothered Spark of Babylon's Dark Age
September 12--OS 154 - The Assyrian Civil War: Magnate Edition
September 15--OS 156 - The Mythical Semiramis in Ancient History
September 16--OS 158 - The Glorious Magnates of Assyria
September 17--OS 160 - Graham Hancock and the Philosophy of Archeology
September 18--OS 161 - A Kingdom of Honey and Blood: The Suhu Rebellion
September 19--OS 163 - The Birth of Urartu
September 20--OS 164 - The Rise of Urartu
September 22--OS 166 - The Forges of Urartu
September 23--The Assyrian Deep State
September 24--Establishing Assyrian Dominance
September 25--The Full Story of Ea-Nasir's Copper
September 26--The Four Failures of Tiglath-Pileser III
September 29--Mesopotamia and the Occult: The Passionate Woman in Depth
Finished First Listening:  Starting Second Listening
September 30--OS 2.5 - Before the Beginning
October 1--OS 05 - Gilgamesh has Adventures
October 2--OS 08 - Ishtar Gains Power
October October 3--OS 16 - Reform and Corruption in Lagash
October 6--OS 17 - Sargon Rising
October 7--OS 19 - Sargon at war
October 8--OS 21 - Surpassing Sargon with Naram-Sin
October 9--OS 23 - The Fall of Akkad
October 10--OS 24 - The Rebirth of Sumer
October 12--OS 25 - The Last Sumerian, Ibbi-Sin
October 13--OS 28 - The Chamorros of Saipan
October 14--OS 30 - The Tablet of Destinies
October 15--OS 33 - A Time of Ritual and Law
October 16--OS 35 Middle Bronze Age Warfare
October 17--OS 38 Rim-sin the Pretty Good
October 19--OS 39 The Merchants and Families of Assyria
October 21--OS 42 Hammurabi's Kingdom and Character
October 22--OS 44 - Hammurabi's Military and Elamite Rule
October 23--OS 44 - Hammurabi's Rebels and Oracles
October 24--OS 48 - Hammurabi's Women and Slaves
October 27--OS 50 - Hammurabi's Code of Laws
October 28--OS 51 - The New Order
October 29--OS 53 - Poem of the Righteous Sufferer
October 30--Bonus 2 - Fanciful Notions of Antiquity
October 31--OS 56 - Obscure Struggles in Assyria
November 3--OS 58 - Rise of the Hittites
November 5--OS 61 - The Conqueror's Triumph and Death
November 6--OS 64 - Village Economics
November 7--OS 66 - Enter the Arena
November 10--OS 67 - Late Bronze Age Warfare
November 11--OS 68 - The Song of Kumarbi
November 12--OS 69 - Kumarbi Strikes Back
November 14--OS 71 - Hurrian Wisdom
November 17--OS 73 - Corruption in Nuzi
November 18--OS 75 - Building Babylonia
November 19--OS 77 - Idrimi's Adventure and Tudhaliya's Invasion
November 20--OS 79 - Magic and Medicine in Hattusa
November 21--OS 81 - King Tushratta Begs and Runs Away
November 22--OS 82 - Suppiluliuma Irritates Egypt
November 24--OS 85 - New Cities and New Villians
November 25--OS 87 - Rebirth of an Old City
December 1--OS 90 - Tukulti-Ninurta's Victories
December 2--OS 92 - Nergal and Ereshkigal
December 3--OS 95 Hattusili Secures His Legacy
December 4--Elamite 1 - Back to the Beginning
December 5--The Oldest Games
December 6--Canaan 1 - Bronze Age Levant
December 7--Canaan 1 - The Amarna Age in Canaan
December 8-- Canaan 4 - Ugarit's Final Century
December 9--Canaan 7 - The Baal Cycle
December 10--Canaan 8 - The Feast of Baal
December 11--Canaan 9 - Baal and Mot
December 12--Sumer in Genesis
December 13--Listener Questions
December 15--Industry 2 - The Stuff of Life
December 16--Passionate Daughter Ishtar
December 17--Industry 4.5 - Last Century's Fashions (pt 2 of 2)
December 18--Industry 5 - The Bronze of the Age
December 19--OS 99 - The Legend of Nebuchadnezzar
December 21--OS 100 - The Babylonian Theodicy
December 22--OS 102 - A Bit More About Tiglath Pileser
December 23--OS 103 - The Babylonian Aristotle, Esagil-Kin-Apli
December 24--OS 104 - Arameans Everywhere
December 25--OS 105 Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad
December 26--OS 106 The Fate of Anatolia
December 27--OS 107 - The Bible as History and Skeptical Views
December 29--OS 109 - Israel's Numbers Problem
December 30--OS 110 - Israel and the Hebrews
December 31--OS 111 - Israel's Wandering and Settlement
January 1, 2026--OS 113 - Israel's Settlements and Philistine Neighbors
January 2--OS 114 - Israel's Judges and Defeats
January 3--OS 115 - The Place of Faith in Biblical History
January 5--OS 117 - Israel's First King
January 6--OS 119 - Israel's Young Shepherd
January 7--OS 122 - Israel's King David
January 8--OS 124 - Israel's Wisdom and Wealth
January 9--OS 126 - Israel's Great Confusion
January 10--OS 127 - Israel's First Historical King
January 11--OS 129 - Israelite and Phoenician Prosperity
January 12--OS 131 - Israel's Brutal Judgement
January 13--OS 132 Judah Ascends
January 14--The Book of Job in a Near Eastern Context
January 15--Isaiah 55
January 16--OS 135 - Middle Class Demons of Mesopotamia
January 17--OS 136 - The Fifty Shades of Marduk
January 18--OS 137 - The Oldest Dreams
January 19--OS 139- An Iron King for an Iron Age
January 20--OS 141- the Unintended Aramization of Assyria
January 21--OS 145 - The Early Neo-Assyrian Army
January 23--OS 146 - How Assyria Operated
January 25--OS 148 - Shalmaneser Takes the Throne
January 26--OS 151 - The Glowing Embers of Babylon's Dark Age
January 27--OS 152 - The Smothered Spark of Babylon's Dark Age
January 28--OS 155 - The Angry Puppet: Shamshi-Adad V
January 29--OS 158 - The Glorious magnates of Assyria
January 30--OS 160 - Graham Hancock and the Philosophy of Archeology
January 31--OS 162 - The Rise of Phrygia
February 2--OS 166 - The Forges of Urartu
February 3--The Assyrian Deep State
February 4--Establishing Assyrian Dominance
February 5--Deportation, Castration, and Education-The Foundations of Neo-Assyria
February 6--Mesopotamia and the Occult: The Passionate Woman in Depth
February 7--Mesopotamia and the Occult: Dying and Rising in Depth
February 9--Mesopotamia and the Occult: The Mortal King in Depth
February 10--Mesopotamia and the Occult: Discussions on the Ancient World
February 11--Tiglath Pileser Defeats Israel - Oldest Stories Podcast
February 12--The Ill-Omened Origins of Sargon II
February 13--A Tour of Dur-Sharrukin
February 15--The Environment in which the Assyrian Army Emerged
February 16--The Composition of the Sargonid Army
February 17--The Great Invasion of Urartu
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Monday, February 23, 2026

Searching for Sugar Man: Movie Review


Links to stuff mentioned:
From Cracked.com: 6 Famous Documentaries That Were Shockingly Full of Crap (See #3 on their list.): http://www.cracked.com/article_20585_6-famous-documentaries-that-were-shockingly-full-crap_p2.html

This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost.  For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE:



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Sunday, February 22, 2026

Started: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov
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Monsters at Work Season 1 Episode 1: Welcome to Monsters, Incorporated--TV Show Review

I didn't realize this, but it turns out there's a Disney Plus TV show that's a sequel to Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University.  It came out in 2021, but I'm just finding out about it now.  (I stumbled upon it while searching for the Monsters, Inc. movies on Disney Plus).  Wikipedia article HERE.  

So, after having just rewatched Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University, I checked out the first episode of this TV show with my kids.

I don't plan on continuing with the series, so here are my thoughts on just the first episode.

If you want a TV show that will reward your attention to the previous 2 movies, then this is it.  There's lots of references to events and characters from both Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University.  
Considering that the original Monsters, Inc. came out all the way back in 2001, my initial thought was that this was a bit of a gamble to assume that people still remembered the original movie so well.  But, of course, they're not assuming you remember it from 2001.  They're assuming that you just streamed it again last night.  That's the beauty of a streaming service, I suppose.  When everything is at your fingertips, nothing gets old, and it doesn't matter when the original movie came out.

The other problem with so many references to the previous 2 movies is that the episode is in danger of becoming nothing but Member Berries.  And this episode is definitely in danger of doing that.  But then, it's just the establishing episode of a series.  Presumably the subsequent episodes probably break into fresh territory.

Speaking of breaking into fresh territory: after checking in with our old friends from the movies (Sully and Mike Wazowski) we then follow the adventures of a brand new monster: Tylor Tuskmon.  I guess the showrunners must have decided that the character arcs for Sully and Mike Wazowski were already completed, and they needed to bring in a fresh character.  Either that, or maybe John Goodman and Billy Crystal were too expensive to base the whole series off of?  
Either way, hopefully the rest of the show does a good job of balancing the old established characters with the new ones.

The first episode showed some of the whimsy that made the previous two movies so enjoyable, but it also was setting itself up as an animated office sit-com.  And I don't have a lot of interest in sitting through 2 seasons of that.  (Well, maybe if the jokes in the first episode had been a lot better, I might have considered it.  But I wasn't grabbed by the first episode.  It wasn't terrible, but it didn't grab me either.)  Certainly my kids were not at all interested in an office sit-com, so they didn't ask to see any more episodes once we finished watching the first episode together.

And so, I think we'll leave it there.  Probably neither me nor my kids will be continuing with the rest of this series.  
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Started: Elementary Vietnamese [Fourth Edition] by Binh Nhu Ngo

In a previous post, I made a promise to myself that I would add no new materials to my language study plans until I finished some of the stuff I am currently working on.  However, I've come to realize that the Vietnamese textbook I'm currently using, Essential Vietnamese Grammar by Tri C. Tran, is unsuitable for a beginner textbook.  So I'm going to swap this book out for Essential Vietnamese Grammar.  (I'm not going to completely abandon Essential Vietnamese Grammar. I'm still going to keep it on my shelves and work through some of it slowly.  But Elementary Vietnamese will now be my main textbook.)

Audio HERE
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This Week in Booktube: February 15, 2026
(These are the Booktube videos I watched this week. As always, I encourage you also to check out each of the videos I've linked to down below.  Support Booktube.  And let me know what you've watched this past week.)

Google document: docs, pub

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Monsters University: Movie Review



This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost.  For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE:



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Saturday, February 21, 2026

The Veteran by Dorothy Parker: ESL Listening

(TESOL Worksheets--Poems ESL Listening)

Transcript: docs, pub
Video: HERE


The Veteran by Dorothy Parker: poems


Video: https://youtu.be/AwGZkQlEDe4


When I was young and bold and strong,

Oh, right was right, and wrong was wrong!

My plume on high, my flag unfurled,

I rode away to right the world.

“Come out, you dogs, and fight!” said I,

And wept there was but once to die.


But I am old; and good and bad

Are woven in a crazy plaid.

I sit and stay, “The world is so;

And he is wise who lets it go.

A battle lost, a battle won—

The difference is small, my son.”


Inertia rides and riddles me;

The which is called Philosophy.


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Friday, February 20, 2026

Manhattan Park (in Winter)

(Travelogues--West Michigan)



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Thursday, February 19, 2026

Started: The Brothers Karamazov: The Original Manuscript by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Narrated by Geoffrey Giuliano & The Bell.  Audiobook
This is an audiobook.  It is also a reread.  I originally reviewed this book on February 28, 2017.

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