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Look for further additions to this feature through the end of February.
As always, readers can stay informed of all blog updates/additions via Twitter (@voiceroy) and Facebook.
Please note that I do not attempt to list every single upcoming animated title. This report is to highlight notable releases for the voice casts and bonus content of upcoming releases as well as noteworthy on-camera appearances by voice actors.
And for the record, I rarely mention "best of" or volume collections of anything which include only a handful of episodes and no worthwhile bonus content. It's obvious that such titles are marketed to families only. They're a deliberate attempt to increase profits by selling low-content titles in a series rather than season sets, thereby ignoring DVD collectors and fans of the shows being released.
On a related note, I've created a Facebook group — Animated DVD Collectors — for collectors of all things animated on DVD and Blu-Ray. Come, be one of us…one of us!
Update: 2.14.2010
– In an exclusive interview with Animation World Network, Avatar director James Cameron says fans can expect to see the film released on DVD and Blu-Ray "toward the end of April or May."
AWN adds, "This will be followed by 'value-added' Blu-ray and DVD box sets for Christmas with a lot of 'feature shock.' There might even be a bare bones 3-D Blu-ray also released for Christmas."
As for the possibility of an "extended cut, Cameron says there will not be one, "but rather lots of additional scenes as bonus features":
"To me, AVATAR is the cut that I wanted to put out," Cameron explains. "Again, no pressure from the studio… What we may do is one of these branching path things where you can sort of program your own version of the movie, so you can watch a longer or shorter version of it, as long as both are available in the same package at the same time.
"And if the seamless branching works out, and you can pre-select the 15-minute or the 10-minute longer version of the film, well, that'll be an interesting experience because every once in a while something will pop up that you never saw before. And I think that could be kind of cool: you're rolling along and all of a sudden, 'Wow, what is that?' Here's what bothers me: I don't like this kind of revision, this kind of rewriting of history where one version starts to replace another version. To me, the definitive version of the movie is what we released. But it doesn't mean you can't have fun with the technology."
– Via TVShowsonDVD.com: CBS/Paramount releases Barnaby Jones Season 1 on DVD Feb. 16th. This 662-minute set includes all 13 episodes and features as guest stars some voice acting notables: William Conrad (narrator on Rocky & Bullwinkle), William Shatner (Osmosis Jones, The Wild, Eek the Cat), Roddy McDowall (Pinky & The Brain, A Bug's Life, Batman: The Animated Series), and voice icon Gary Owens (Laugh-In, Roger Ramjet, Space Quest video game series).
– Jerry Beck of Cartoon Brew reports that Warner Home Video will release two Bugs and Daffy cartoon compilations on April 27th:
Two new single disc releases are scheduled for release on April 27th – with more being planned for release later this year. The first two in the Looney Tunes Super Stars line are Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire and Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl. No bonus material or audio commentaries – just straight cartoons. Fifteen on each disc, restored, uncut and previously unavailable on DVD.
The Brew also lists the shorts confirmed to appear on these releases, and TVShowsonDVD.com has a related post with additional details.
– toonzone.net has the press release for the indie stop-motion animated feature $9.99 which releases on DVD Feb. 23rd. It features the voices of Geoffrey Rush, Anthony LaPaglia, Joel Edgerton, and Claudia Karvan. The press release does not mention any bonus content.
– Via ToughPigs.com: Lionsgate releases "Song of the Cloud Forest" on DVD April 13th. This Muppets production originally aired as part of The Jim Henson Hour. Extras include Fraggle Rock episode "The River of Life" and two episodes of Jim Henson's Animal Show: "Owl and Frog," and "Kangaroo and Frog." And besides the wonderful Muppeteers who performed in this production, this production is unique in that it features cameos by Muppet performers Jerry Nelson and Fran Brill.
In related news, Lionsgate will release the 5-episode volume of Jim Henson's Animal Show: Lions, Tigers and Bears on April 13th. TVShowsonDVD.com has product details and cover art.
– Via TVShowsonDVD.com: South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season releases on DVD and Blu-Ray March 6th. Extras include deleted scenes and commentary tracks for all episodes by Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
– Shout! Factory released Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XVI Collector's Edition on Dec. 1st, 2009. It includes a limited-edition Tom Servo figurine, 4 episodes of the cult favorite TV show, and a considerable amount of bonus content.
Shout! releases MST3K Vol. XVII on March 16th with 4 more complete TV episodes and a goodly amount of extras including the bonus feature "The Main Event: Crow vs Crow" and Joel Hodgson introduction for "The Crawling Eye."
– Via TVShowsonDVD.com: Warner Home Video releases 6 remastered Peanuts specials in a 2-disc collection on June 1st: Peanuts 1970's Collection Vol. 2. The single bonus included is a retrospective on Peanuts in the 70's.
– Batman: Under the Red Hood has been announced as the next animated direct-to-video DC Comics/Warner Bros Animation title. Click the title link for details.
– toonzone.net reports that Aria the Origination releases on DVD March 2, 2010. Among the bonus features on the 5-disc box set is a Japanese voice cast discussion.
– Although Shout! Factory released the massive Transformers "Matrix of Leadership" complete box set in July 2009, the last of their individual season box sets — Transformers Seasons 3 and 4 — will release April 20th. According to the official press release at toonzone.net, bonus features on this 4-disc collection include:
* The Autobots, The Decepticons & The Fans – A look at the loyal fans of The Transformers
* From the Files of Teletraan-2
* Rare PSAs
* Archival Hasbro Toy Commercials
* Art Gallery
– WordGirl: Earth Day Girl (previously reported here) releases March 30th. This marks the first time the underrated PBS kids show has been released on DVD. It includes 8 episodes and educational bonus content.
– Warner Home Video will release the third title in their series of "Saturday Morning Cartoons" with a 2-disc collection from the 1980s featuring 11 vintage shows: Mr. T, Dragon's Lair, Monchichis, Thundarr the Barbarian, Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, Galtar and the Golden Lance, The Biskitts, Goldie Gold & Action Jack, Martin Short's The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, and The Flinstone Kids. TVShowsonDVD.com says the title releases May 4th and includes the bonus featurette, "Lords of Light!: Thundarr the Barbarian" which "explores the animated origins of the hero."
– toonzone.net has Disney's press release with cover art and content details for the March 2nd DVD/Blu-Ray special edition re-releases of the Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki anime classics Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Tortoro and Kiki's Delivery Service.
– Via toonzone.net: Warner Home Video has announced the April 6th DVD/Blu-Ray release of Ralph Bakshi's animated vision of Lord of the Rings. It includes a 30-minute interview with Bakshi exploring "his concept for creating an illustrated film, his pioneering rotoscoping process, and inspirations for his visual storytelling."
– Shout! Factory released Kingdom of the Spiders: Special Edition on Jan. 19th. This remastered version of the B-movie vintage thriller stars William Shatner (Star Trek, Osmosis Jones, Over the Hedge, The Wild), and bonus content includes interviews with Shatner and other cast/crew, commentary, and "rare behind-the-scenes footage."
– Warner Home Video releases the eagerly-anticipated Halo Legends on DVD and Blu-Ray Feb. 16th. toonzone.net has comprehensive coverage of this title with press releases, interviews, movie stills and preview video clips. The 2-disc edition includes "several hours" of bonus content including a making-of featurette for each of the seven episodes, documentary history of the Halo "phenomenon," and audio commentary by directors Frank O'Connor and Joseph Chou.
IMDb.com has a list of the voice cast for Halo Legends, which includes several notable voice talents from anime dubs and video games.
– Via toonzone.net: Canadian animated favorite Bob and Margaret: The Complete First Season releases on DVD Feb. 16th. Amazon.com says the 2-disc set has a runtime of 290 minutes, but no bonus features are mentioned.
– Via TVShowsonDVD.com: Cartoon Network releases Johnny Bravo Season 1 on DVD May 11th. This is the premiere title for the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" lineup. No bonus features have been announced.
– Although Shout! Factory released G.I. Joe: Complete Series Collectors Set on Nov. 10, 2009, they have continued to release individual volumes from the series as well.
Season 1.3 released Feb. 2nd and includes PSAs, archival toy commercials and a production featurette.
Season 2 releases April 27th and includes more PSAs and toy commercials as well as a featurette called "Greenshirts: The G.I. Joe Legacy."
Update: 2.11.2010:
– Via PixarTalk.com: While the U.S. DVD/Blu-Ray release of Dumbo 70th Anniversary Special Edition has been delayed for unknown reasons, it's already been released in Mexico and France (with three other countries following in March).
Confirmed extras include:
DVD Only:
* Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo (26:56)
* Magic of Dumbo: Ride of Passage (2:59)
* Sound Design Excerpt from "The Reluctant Dragon" (5:40)
* Deleted Scene: The Mouse's Tale (5:20)
* Deleted Song: "Are You a Man or a Mouse" (3:31)
* 1941 Theatrical Trailer (2:09)
* 1949 Re-Release Trailer (1:15)
* Original Walt Disney Television Introduction (1:04)
Blu-ray Only:
* DisneyView
* Cine-Explore with Pete Docter
* Art Galleries
* Featurette: "Celebrating Dumbo" (14:51)
* Bonus Shorts: "The Flying Mouse" and "Elmer Elephant"
* Games: "What Do You See?" and "What Do You Know"
Update: 2.10.2010:
– TVShowsonDVD.com has the trailer for MTV's Daria: The Complete Animated Series, as well as a look at the cover art for the 8-disc collection. It releases on May 11th, 2010.
– Via TVShowsonDVD.com: Shout! Factory will release a 4-disc set of C.O.P.S. Volume Two on March 16th, and sold exclusively online through their site: ShoutFactory.com.
– The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! releases April 20th, and features Seth MacFarlane as the voice of "I.S.R.A.E.L." TVShowsonDVD.com has a look at the cover art.
– Iron Man: Armored Adventures – The Complete Season 1 releases May 4th. TVShowsonDVD.com says this is a "4-disc set running 572 minutes long. 26 episodes are presented in widescreen video, with English Dolby 2.0 sound."
On a related note, Disney releases Marvel's Iron Man: The Complete 1994 Animated Series on March 4th. The 3-disc set includes all 26 episodes and stars Robert Hays (Airplane! film series, Starman) as the voice of Tony Stark/Iron Man. TVShowsonDVD.com has a look at the cover art.
– toonzone.net reports that Classic Media and Vivendi Entertainment will release a brand new animated direct-to-DVD title, Kung Fu Magoo, on May 11th. It features the voices of:
Jim Conroy (Celebrity Death Match, Grand Theft Auto IV) as Mr. Magoo
Dylan & Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody)
Alyson Stoner (Camp Rock)
Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live)
Kenny Mayne (Dancing With The Stars)
Fred Travalena (Bogey from Shirt Tales) [in one of his final voice roles]
Also on May 11th, Classic/Vivendi will release the 1964 Magoo classic, Mr. Magoo in Sherwood Forest, starring the original voice of Mr. Magoo, Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island).
TVShowsonDVD.com has a look at the cover art for both titles.
Update: 2.09.2010:
– DVDTalk has a review of Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, a direct-to-DVD release based on the upcoming video game of the same title. It features the voices of Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson, Victoria Tennant, Vanessa Branch, Graham McTavish and Grey DeLisle. Here's an excerpt:
Though there's some impressively stylish animation on display here, it never seems like the story gets to a place that lives up to the art. Then again, everything about this movie looks better in the game it's based on, leaving anyone who knows anything about the game likely disappointed, as it's lighter on both action and imagination. The DVD itself looks and sounds fine, but is light on extras, so you'll want to give it a rental before diving in.
Update: 2.05.2010:
– TheDigitalBits reports that Astro Boy will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 16th: "Extras will include a pair of all-new animated sequences, deleted scenes, featurettes, a photo gallery and more."
– TheDigitalBits.com also reports that Where The Wild Things Are will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray March 2nd. Bonus content includes "4 featurettes (The Absurd Difficulty of Filming a Dog Running and Barking at the Same Time, The Big Prank, Vampire Attack and The Kids Take Over the Picture). The Blu-ray version will add 4 more (including Maurice and Spike, Max and Spike, The Records Family and Carter Burwell), along with the HBO First Look special and the all-new Higgelty Piggelty Pop! short featuring the voices of Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker."
– UltimateDisney.com has a rundown of when fans might expect to see some of Disney's animated classics to be released from the vault:
Thanks to a tip from someone aware of Disney's retail schedules, we've gotten word of the studio's plans for its tentpole titles. This year's anticipated Diamond Editions are still on track to make it to stores in 2010. Beauty and the Beast is slated to make its Blu-ray debut in October, with Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 following in December. Meanwhile, already heavily-marketed Dumbo, which isn't part of the Diamond line but was clearly intended for re-release this week, won't arrive until February 2011 (rendering its proposed 70th Anniversary Edition moniker more accurate). Beyond that, a big October 2011 splash is expected for one of Disney's biggest all-time titles; The Lion King is set to bow on Blu-ray then. As always, all of these plans are subject to change until they're formally announced (and sometimes even after that).
– UltimateDisney.com also reports that the live-action movie Old Dogs, which is of note here in that it co-stars Robin Williams and Seth Green (Family Guy, Robot Chicken) will release on March 9th:
…in a single-disc DVD ($29.99 SRP), a single-disc Blu-ray ($39.99 SRP), and in a three-disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack ($44.99 SRP). The DVD will include only bloopers and deleted scenes, while the standalone Blu-ray adds Travolta and daughter Ella Bleu's "Every Little Step" music video. Besides the digital copy, the Combo will also contain two additional exclusives in Bryan Adams' "You've Been a Friend to Me" music video and the featurette "Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks."
– Also from UltimateDisney.com:
Originally scheduled for March, 1986's The Great Mouse Detective will get a slipcovered Mystery in the Mist Edition DVD on April 13. Besides boasting an all-new digital restoration, this moderately-priced disc ($19.99 SRP) will include all-new bonus "So You Think You Can Sleuth?", an animated look at the history of detective work through the ages with crime-solving challenge. Carried over from the movie's initial 2002 DVD are a making-of featurette from the 1980s and a sing-along of villain Ratigan's "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind."
– And again from UltimateDisney.com:
Disney has announced a 2-disc Special Un-Anniversary Edition DVD of their original 1951 animated Alice in Wonderland for release on March 30, 2010 while Tim Burton's new take on the story plays in theaters. New bonus features include the deleted scene "Pig and Pepper."
– toonzone.net has a press release for Oscar-nominee Fantastic Mr. Fox which releases March 23rd on DVD and Blu-Ray. Bonus content includes "8 featurettes (The Look of Fantastic Mr. Fox, From Script to Screen, The Puppet Makers, Still Life, The Cast, Bill and His Badger, A Beginner's Guide to Whack-Bat and Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World of Roald Dahl."
– DVDTown.com has a review of The Simpsons Complete 20th Season, which lists some of the celebrity guest voices and notes that this season features a few firsts for the series: first season released on Blu-Ray, first with episodes produced in HD and widescreen and the first season for which voice cast member Dan Castellaneta is credited as a "consulting producer."
What the review doesn't mention, however, is the repeated complaint from fans and DVD collectors over the obvious lack of bonus features and commentaries fans have come to expect from the FOX releases.
TheDigitalBits.com calls this release "sub-par" and "a disappointment," and adds, "Even the menus look ugly and tossed off." But it's particularly lacking in bonus content:
This is not one of those wonderful, extras-packed sets that we're used to. The only bonus feature on here, if you can even call it that, is a three-and-a-half minute promo piece for Morgan Spurlock's 20th Anniversary Special. That's right. You get an extended commercial for a special that aired two days BEFORE this was even released.
– Planet Hulk released on DVD Feb. 2nd (click here for the voice cast).
Toonzone's review says the release includes "a sizeable list of extras which fall a bit short, unfortunately." Among them, two production featurettes and commentaries.
411Mania.com's review says of the 'A World of Hurt' feature that it's "your basic DVD making of/production featurette and runs about 22 minutes. This goes a lot into the animation production and interviews with the production crew. I would've liked to have seen some more interview footage with the voice actors, but this was still good."
Update: 1.31.2010:
– JustPressPlay.net has a review of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition which released on Jan. 26th. A retrospective on the production of this 1985 animated TV musical is included as a bonus feature.
The voice cast includes:
– Brad Kesten as Charlie Brown
– Kevin Brando Charlie Brown (singing voice)
– Michael Dockery as Marcie
– Jeremy Scott Reinbolt as Schroeder
– Tiffany Reinbolt as Sally
– Jessie Lee Smith as Lucy van Pelt
– Bill Melendez as Snoopy, Woodstock
– Robert Towers as Snoopy (singing voice)
– David Wagner as Linus van Pelt
Originally posted 1.28.2010:
– DeseretNews.com has a review of Legends of Laughter: Abbott & Costello (released on DVD Jan. 26th), calling it "a blast from the past…a treasure trove of tidbits" from the legendary comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.
The 6-disc set retails at $29.98 and includes the movies "Africa Screams" (1949) and "Jack and the Beanstalk" (1952), and old time radio nostalgia buffs will be pleased to see included "audio recordings of 17 of the pair's radio show (1942-49) and 14 episodes of "The Colgate Comedy Hour" that Abbott and Costello hosted from 1951-54," one of which includes guest star (and legendary cartoon voice actor) Mel Blanc.
Bonus features include a blooper reel, a WWII PSA and 20 movie trailers.
– TVShowsOnDVD.com reports that Season 4 of the vintage TV detective series Simon & Simon will be released on April 6th. The 6-disc set will include all 21 episodes, including what I'm told is an appearance by cartoon voice acting legend Frank Welker who guest-starred in the S4 episode "Almost Completely Out of Circulation" in 1984 as a "Dubbing Actor."
I've been trying to catch this episode in reruns for years, so I'm very pleased to see this released on DVD.
Update: 1.29.2010, 1:45AM (EST) — Doreen Mulman, webmaster of the official Frank Welker Homepage, confirms that Frank does appear on-camera in this episode, "albeit briefly."
John Astin (voices on Tazmania, The Addams Family, Disney's Recess, Duckman, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes) also guest-starred in season 4 of the show as the Simon brothers' Uncle Ray in the episode "Revolution #9 1/2."
– The toonzone reports that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release The Princess and the Frog on DVD and Blu-ray on March 16, 2010.
The voice cast features (from the press release):
– Anika Noni Rose (Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, 2004,"Caroline, or Change")
– Keith David (Crash)
– Jenifer Lewis ("Strong Medicine")
– Jim Cummings ("Mickey Mouse Clubhouse")
– Michael-Leon Wooley (Ghost Town)
– Bruno Campos ("Nip/Tuck")
– Peter Bartlett (The Producers)
– Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)
– Jennifer Cody (Broadway's "Shrek: The Musical")
– Oprah Winfrey
– John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.).
Bonus features include:
• Deleted Scenes
• Audio Commentary by John Musker and Ron Clements (co-writers and directors) and Peter Del Vecho (producer)
• "Never Knew I Needed"- Music video by Ne-Yo
Games and Activities
• What Do You See: Princess Portraits — A bayou-style quiz tests viewers' knowledge of all of Disney's beautiful princesses. Ray's firefly family creates twinkling portraits of each princess and if the player correctly identifies her, they can enjoy a tongue-cheek mini re-telling of that character's story.
The Blu-ray Combo Pack edition:
Backstage Disney
• Magic In The Bayou: The Making of A Princess — Co-writers and directors John Musker and Ron Clements take a freewheeling, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Disney's newest animated film as it grows from an initial concept to a lavish animated film set in the enchanting world of New Orleans and the surrounding bayous.
• The Return To Hand Drawn Animation
• The Disney Legacy
• Disney's Newest Princess
• The Princess and the Animator
• Conjuring The Villain
• A Return To The Animated Musical
• Bringing Life to Animation, with an introduction by John Musker and Ron
• Deleted Scenes introduced by the filmmakers
• Art Galleries — A collection of storyboard art traces the visual development of The Princess and the Frog's rich gallery of
characters and settings.
– The-Trades.com has a review of Super Friends! Season One, Volume One which released on Jan. 5th. Although skimpy on content (only 8 episodes and one "trivial" bonus feature), this early 70s series is still a nostalgic favorite for many DC Comics fans. The show features the voices of:
– Sherry Alberoni as Wendy
– Frank Welker as Marvin
– Danny Dark as Superman
– Shannon Farnon as Wonder Woman
– Norman Alden as Aquaman
– Olan Soule as Batman
– Casey Kasem as Robin
– Ted Knight as Narrator
– The toonzone has a review of Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side which released in Dec. 2009. Seth MacFarlane and other of the show's principal cast are included in what toonzone reviewer Chad Bonin calls a "surprising number of extras":
"Family Guy Fact-Ups" are Pop-Up Video/A.D.Vidnotes notes that come up throughout the episode explaining some references or pointing out how many voices Seth MacFarlane does in the special (25, to be exact), and would be a welcome addition to the DVD releases of the main series. A crew commentary is nice as usual, and gives you another reason to watch the special all the way through. There are two table reads from a pretty poor angle for the most part, one covering two acts of the special found on this disc, and one a preview of the next parody, "We Have a Bad Feeling About This". The final two features are some animatics with commentary alongside the finished footage, and a featurette about the art behind the poster design.
– TVShowsOnDVD.com reports that Warner Home Video will release The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Complete 5th Season on May 4th. The 3-disc set offers 25 episodes with some voice acting guest stars of note: Isaac Hayes (South Park) as a Minister in the episode "The Wedding Show (Psyche!)," Pat Morita (Disney's Mulan, Kingdom Hearts series, Robot Chicken, SpongeBob SquarePants) as Mr. Yoshi in "Love Hurts," Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons, Kim Possible) as Ruby Jillette in "Save the Last Trance for Me," and Brad Garrett (A Bugs Life, Ratatouille) as mafia thug John 'Fingers' O'Neill in "Fresh Prince: The Movie."
– TheDigitalBits.com has a rundown of the all-new bonus features produced for the March 23rd DVD/Blu-Ray combo special editions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2:
Toy Story disc will include 8 featurettes (The Story: An Exclusive Sneak Peek at Toy Story 3, Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: Blast Off, Paths to Pixar: Artists, Studio Stories: John's Car, Studio Stories: Baby AJ, Studio Stories: Scooter Races, Buzz Takes Manhattan and Black Friday: The Toy Story You Never Saw), plus BD-Live movie chat, movie mail, movie challenge and more. All-new bonus features due on the Toy Story 2 release include director's commentary and 8 featurettes (Characters: An Exclusive Sneak Peek At Toy Story 3, Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: International Space Station, Paths to Pixar: Technical Artists, Studio Stories: Toy Story 2 Sleep Deprivation Lab, Studio Stories: Pinocchio, Studio Stories: The Movie Vanishes, Pixar's Zoetrope and Celebrating our Friend Joe Ranft), plus BD-Live movie chat, movie mail, movie challenge and more.
The late Joe Ranft was a writer and storyboard artist for Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Cars (which he also co-directed) who voiced Wheezy the Penguin in Toy Story 2, Jacques the Shrimp in Finding Nemo, Heimlich in A Bug's Life and three characters — Red, Jerry Recycled Batteries, Peterbilt — in Cars.
Related post: 7.22.2009 — VAs on DVD: Coraline, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Transformers, Tinker Bell, and More


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Mundas - a fused culture of Tamil and Sanskrit speaking Vedic society (Mundas -10)
Previous articles in this series:-
One of the common views held by many scholars is that 'Aryans' or Hindus influenced the Mundari people such that these people had started worshiping "Aryan" Gods. The same explanation is given to justify the presence of Sanskrit words in their language. However a closer examination of their festivals and practices give rise to a view that such 'Aryan' practices are running basically in their culture. Another important observation is that they all have had some connection with peninsular India and ancient Tamil or proto-Tamil.
The basic problem is in thinking that Mundas are different from Hindus. All the features and ideas of their culture are seen in rural India even today. They are found in Tamil Sangam texts too that describe the culture that existed 2000 years ago. Texts like "Malai padu kadaam" and "Maduraik kaanchi" describe the life style of different types people living in forests and hills and we do find them similar to the life style and beliefs of Mundas. The Mundari speaking people show a close semblance to the life style in Peninsular India. We will discuss them in this article.
The Vedic or "Aryan" festivals of Mundas.
The Mundas celebrate Bissho karma puja which is the same as Vishwa Karma Puja – Vishwa Karma being the Creator-architect. It is easy to attribute this to some influence from 'Hindus'. But their celebration of "Asharhe Puja" in Ashada month is something that Vedic society was celebrating but had given up long ago. This is similar to "Ashada Puja" in the Vedic society in which Goddess Saraswati was invoked as Vaak Devi to help in determining the level of prosperity of the upcoming rainy season. The available record of this Puja is found only in Brihad samhita authored by Varahamihira. {1) This puja was in vogue before the times of Varahamihira. No wonder Mundas worship Goddess Saraswati too which people think is an influence from Hinduism.
Monsa Puja
Another festival is the Monsa Puja which they celebrate in Shravan month. For Mundas, Monsa signifies serpents. Their belief in Monsa as a serpent God is so indigenous and so deep rooted that whenever they see a snake in the dream, they connect it to Monsa Devi. In Vedic culture there is Goddess Manasa Devi with a hood of a snake upon her head. Manasa Devi appears with a child in her hand.
Pic courtesy:-
There is a story behind this appearance of Manasa Devi, narrated in Mahabharata. This story recognises the child in Manasa's hand as Astika who was born to release the ancestors. Hindus believe that the snake signifies an impediment to getting progeny and worship of snake removes this impediment. The iconography of Manasa Devi seems to be the precursor to this belief. By worshiping Manasa Devi who is a personification of snake, one is blessed with a child. The child is desired primarily to pay off ancestral debts through ancestral worship. This concept is very much original and oldest concept of the Vedic society. The accessory elements may be missing in Mundari Monsa Devi. But the snake identity is retained by them. Monsa Devi could not have been an adopted concept as they have dream interpretations for Monsa. It must have been a former concept that was retained by them even after they had gone into isolation.
The same idea of Manasa Devi with a child is there in Tamil nadu by the name Isakki amman.
This Goddess is found in many regions of Tamilnadu where some valorous women in the deed of protecting a child had been deified as Isakki. There is mention of Isakki as Iyakki in the 1st century AD text of Silappadhikaram, thereby establishing this deity as an olden concept. By the name Iyakki, it means that she is one who 'drives' the world / souls. She is Iccha shakthi of Creator God. That is identified as Manasa Devi. Thus a similar meaning with a similar iconography had existed throughout India. The original idea must have been Monsa Devi worshiped by Mundas. The idea of Monsa with serpent related to progeny could have been converted into forms of Manasa and Isakki, perhaps after Parashurama ushered in Devi worship through his Kalpasutra.
Plough – festival, Akshay Tritiya and Rohini
The paddy sowing festival of Santals is called "Ero". It is done on Akshaya Tritiya in the month of Chithrai– on the day when Sun and Moon exalts simultaneously. Even Toda people have a celebration on Akshaya Triteeya! This day is an important day in Vedic society. How did the Mundari people come to possess the knowledge to compute the date of Akshaya Triteeya if they had not had that knowledge by themselves – from the time of their previous habitat?
A surprising connection to this day is that it is the day of Parashurama's birthday! This day must have been an important day in the coastal region of Konkan and Malabar. Toda people hailing from there can be expected to have remembered this day but lost out the significance in course of time. The Santali tradition of remembering this day for ploughing might have come from an early Tamil practice. The Tamils had a tradition of starting the first ploughing called "ponnEru" (golden plough) in the month of Chithrai. It continues even today. The plough is called "Er" or "Eru" in Tamil. The festival Ero sounds like Tamil "Eru" (yEru) which means plough.
On the day of Akshaya Tritiya, Moon will be in the asterism of Rohini (Aldebaran). On this day the agricultural tribes of Jharkhand including the Mundari people start sowing the seeds. The star Rohini is identified with Creator God Brahma. Anything to do with growth and development is done on this day. This is a concept of Vedic society. The Mundas and other tribes of Jharkhand sow the seeds on this day, but without any pomp and festivities. This is something unusual for a society that is known for songs and dances for every activity. Perhaps this day coinciding with Parashurama Jayanathi could have nipped out the festivities! However the day was not discarded due to its significance for growth related activity. The absence of festivity does indicate a conscious decision to do away with it due to Parashurama's connection to this date. But this reason could have been forgotten over time.
Today this date had been commercially exploited by gold merchants calling people to buy gold. Originally this date was used as an ideal time for starting the agricultural practices to get a 'golden' harvest.
From axe-culture to Plough culture.
In this context it is apt to make a comparison between 'axe' culture and 'plough' culture. Axe culture is identified with Parashurama and Plough culture is identified with Balarama, another avatar of Vishnu. In Parashurama's times, new settlements were made by clearing the forests. Axe was the main implement to cut the trees. The Bhargava people of Parashurama's clan fell out with Haihaya rulers and were forced to move out of Vindhya ranges. They were said to have made new settlements by clearing the forests.
In his times Parashurama was known to be carrying the axe always. Even the Mundari speaking people carry the axe all the time. Particularly the Savaras are known to be carrying it always. There was even an attempt to decipher the name Savara from the Scythian word Sagaris having the meaning axe. In the words of Cunningham, "It seems therefore not unreasonable to infer that the tribe who were so called took their name from their habit of carrying axes. Now it is one of the striking peculiarities of the Savars that they are rarely seen without an axe in their hands. The peculiarity has been frequently noticed by all who have seen them." {2}
The Asur- Marundas also must have carried the axe to procure wood for furnaces. The Sanskrit name of axe as Parashu exists in Asur clan names as Parsa. However the common word for axe in Mundari language sounds closer to its Tamil equivalent. In Tamil the axe is called as "Kodari". In Mundari language a small axe is called as "Konde". Likewise the plough is called as "Hada" in Mundari – similar to its Sanskrit equivalent 'Hala'. But the first ploughing is called as "Ero" – similar to the Tamil word "Er" for plough.
Makar festival.
The Makar parba or Makar parva is celebrated by Santals of the Mundari speaking people. The words Makar and Parva are Sanskrit but the festival is similar to Tamil festival of Pongal celebrated on Makar Sankaranthi. It is a three day celebration in Santali as well as Tamil tradition. On the first day that comes before Makar sankaranthi, Santali children and youth burn logs of wood in the morning in a celebration called "Kumbha". On the same day Tamils burn discarded things in the morning in a celebration called "Bhogi".
Maghe festival.
The Maghe festival coming on Full Moon of Margashira is related to Dattatreya Jayanthi. However this was also the day when "Paavai nonbu" was started in Tamil lands. But the features of Tamil Paavai festival is not found in Maghe Parba. Maghe parba resembles only Dattatreya Jayanthi that was discussed in Part 2. This festival bears the imprints of an earlier memory of the Vedic society.
Phagu festival.
Phagu festival is related to Holi festival. It is celebrated on the full moon of the Phalguni month. The name Phagu is corrupted from Phalguni. It was a very old festival in the Vedic society as it is about Holika, the aunt of Prahalad. This has reference to the Narasimha Avatar,that preceded Parashurama's times.
Tamil culture in Mundas.
The flower festival of Sarhul celebrated by the Munda people resembles such festivals noted in ancient Tamil lands. Sarhul sounds like "Sarakonnai" flower of Tamil lands
The first flower in spring and first rains in summer were celebrated in Tamil culture. Even today "raining the flower" festival (Poo-chorithal) is celebrated in almost all the Amman temples in Tamil lands in the month of Chithrai. Sarhul of Mundas seems to resemble that.
The Karam festival is related to Kadamba festival of the Konkan region which was discussed in Part 1.
Remnants of Skanda culture in Savaras.
One example of a very olden connect with Peninsular India is seen in the traditional names that Savaras have for their religious functionaries. They have a village priest, a Shaman, a helper to the Shaman and one who does funeral rites. Shamanism in India can be traced back to Skanda cult. Even today one can witness Shaman practices among Skanda devotees on popular festival days for Skanda. In the Tamil Sangam age it was too widespread and there were people called "Velan" who used to do fierce dances to the accompaniment of drum-beats to drive out the evil spirits or to spell oracles. This tradition is said to come in Kura-magal community of Valli, the local tribal girl whom Skanda married. Kura- magal means the girl from Kurava community. (There is a Korwa clan among Mundari speakers!).
The Shaman priest of Savaras bears a similar name – "Kuranmavan". {3} This is a Tamil word meaning "the guy of the Kurava clan". Kura-magal is a female and Kura-mavan is a male.
The helper to this Shaman priest is "Idaimayan". This also sounds like a Tamil word "Idai-magan" the one who comes in between or in the middle – meaning one whose services are taken in between, or one who comes in the middle in the hierarchy.
The one who does funeral rites is known as "Siggamavan". 'Mavan' in this word is a Tamil word used in colloquial form for 'magan' – meaning person. Sigga perhaps comes from "Sigi" in Tamil which means fire! As one engaged in keeping up the funeral fire, it is perfectly logical that he was called as "Sigi-mavan" that corrupted as "Sigga mavan" meaning "the guy working on fire"
Pic courtesy:-
Project Gutenberg's Castes and Tribes of Southern India, by Edgar Thurston
The Santals call the head of the village as "Manjhi"."Manjan" is the Tamil word that refers to a man. Similarly the word "Pergana" is common among Santals and widely prevalent in North east India. It refers to some groups or septs among them. This context of the word "Pergana" seems to convey that it is "Perum-gana" in Tamil meaning "the big group".
Munda's original name is a Tamil word.
The Mundas call themselves as "Horoko" in which 'horo' refers to man, according to them. In their speech the letters 'h' and 'r' are interchangeable with 'k' and 'l' respectively. As such 'horo' is also mentioned as "kolo" or "kol". Mundas say that 'hor' or 'kol' means 'man. This can be seen in the way they refer to people as "Santali Hor", "Mundari hor" or "Mundari kol" etc.
But there exists a word "Kolam" in Tamil that refers to 'appearance' or 'form'. In Tamil it is common to use the word 'Kolam' along with a name to refer to someone 'in the form of so and so'. For example 'Andi-k-kolam' means 'in the form of an ascetic'. This can be understood as 'ascetic man' in which kolam comes to refer to man. But that is not the actual meaning of kolam. The word 'kolam' here only means 'in the form of'. Lord Skanda is famously referred to by the term "Andi-k-kolam – meaning "Skanda in the form of ascetic".
The same idea seems to exist in the word 'kol' of Mundas. They refer to a Santali as 'Santali hor(kol)'. By the logic of the usage in Tamil, Santali Hor means 'one in the form of Santal'. They say "Larka kol" to mean "one in the form of war-like person". The say "sAdAn Horo" to refer to a non-Munda or a foreigner. The word "sAdAn" is a corrupt form of 'sAdArana" in Tamil and SAdharan in Sanskrit - which means 'ordinary'. If we substitute 'form or appearance' for horo or kol, the word sAdAn Horo refers to "ordinary man and not a Munda!" The subtlety in the use of 'hor' or 'kol' is understood from this word.
The word "Kolam" is used in Tamil when a person is in disguise in that form. The Mundari speaking people were actually living incognito and hiding their true identity. In such a context it makes perfect sense to refer to a person to be 'in the form of a Santal" or in the form of a Kurukh or Korwa and so on by the use of the word "kol". So when the Munda identifies himself as "Hork-ko" (ko in the word makes it plural. Similar use of 'ka' or "ga" for plural is there in corrupt form of Tamil. Eg – avan'ga' to refer to they or these people), he is making a reference to his disguised form as so and so. A society that is living by hiding its identity can be expected to use such terms.
Tamil and Sanskrit in Munda septs and totems
The presence of Tamil is seen in the word they use to refer to the septs. Mundas are divided into septs called "Killi". 'Killi' is a Tamil word. There were Chola kings by names "Killi Valavan", Nalam "killi", Pernar killi" etc. "Killi" in their name exists as family name or clan name. But no analysis or information exists on why these kings came to have 'killi' in their names. But the application of the word "killi" as it exists in Mundari language shows that the word "Killi" is derived from "Kilai". Kilai means 'branch' and also 'relatives'. Therefore a group of people who are related to each other or those who belong to the same gotra could be called as "Kilai". From Kilai, the word 'killi' had come. Among Mundas, people of the same Killi do not marry within the Killi. This establishes the gotra identity among the same killi. The Tamil meaning as 'relatives' concurs with this practice.
I wonder whether any connection exists between Cholan Killis and Mundari Killis! Mundas were Maruttas originally. The Cholans trace their origin in Sibi's dynasty. This is known from many Sangam texts and also from copper plate inscriptions found at Thiruvalangadu. A commonality exists between them as both Sibi and Marutta people had gone underground to escape from Parashurama. Sibi's descendants lived near the river Sindhu in North west India and Maruttas lived incognito in Shindhu kalaka of the same region. It is possible the some of them had gone further west and to central Asia. But Cholavarman, a descendant of Sibi dynasty came to Pumpukar and founded the Chola dynasty. {4} This was before Parashurama's times as there is a narration in a Tamil text called Manimegalai of how the Cholan king of Pumpukar went into hiding when Parashurama was around on the lookout for kshatriyas.
{Note on Cholas:- Cholavarman's ancestry coming from Sibi in North west India must not be considered as proof of Tamil speaking people having come from North west of India. The original Tamil speakers were Pandyans who came from the now submerged regions in the Indian Ocean. Tamil as a language refined with grammar was developed by Pandyans. However Tamil in corrupt form called as "Kodum Tamil" (meaning 'stunted Tamil' which is what Apabrahmsa also means) existed in other regions of India. It is a different history of how this happened. It will be discussed in another series).
There is no etymology for Chola in Tamil. But Choda or Chauda or Chaula as variations of this name, refer to tuft. There is a proverb in Tamil related to Cholas and their tuft. ("Cholian Kudumi chumma aadaathu" – meaning the "the tuft of the Cholia does not shake for no reason") The tuft of a Chola was tied in the front of the head. The existence of this proverb and people with Cholia titles and having tuft connected to Cholia make it known that Cholas were originally known for this kind of tuft. Perhaps the Cholas got their name from the tuft they sported.
The following illustration shows the front-tuft. The picture is that of Periyaazhwar, a Vaishnavite saint who was the father of AndAL. He is always depicted with the Cholia tuft that is tied in the front of the head.
Cholistan in present-day Pakistan might perhaps be the place of Chola origin. The presence of Brahui language with similarities with Tamil could be related to the emergence of Cholavarma from this part of the country. It must be noted that the similar front-side tuft is found in people of the olden days in the stretch starting from Pakistan to Russia. A genetic study on the traditional front-tuft people of Eurasia and Cholia titled castes of Tamilnadu such as Cholia Brahmins and Cholia Vellalas needs to be done to look for connections.
The Cholan presence in the region near Indus makes them and Maruttas share language and traditions. The title Killi for Cholan kings to be same as Killi of Mundas must be viewed in this perspective too. }
Sanskrit and Tamil in totems of Killi.
Each Killi of Mundas has a totem as an identity. The names of these totems are found to be Sanskrit or Tamil. For example Kachap killi has Kachap as totem – kachap means tortoise in Sanskrit. Likewise there are totems like Tuti that refers to Tulsi plant. Mundas use tulsi leaves in pujas to sprinkle water. Soe totem refers to 'sura' in Tamil which refers to a fish. Nag totem refers to serpent. Purthi totem means insect. In Tamil 'Puchi' means insect. The term Purthi seems to be a corrupt form of Tamil word 'Puchi'. Hansda totem refers to swan. Obviously Hansda is a corruption of Hamsa!
The fusion of Sanskrit and Tamil is seen in the totem 'Kamal'. It means lotus in Mundari language too. The link with Tamil word exists in the Sept name that has Kamal as the totem. The sept name is "Tamar Pergana" – Tamarai is a Tamil word for lotus! Tamar Pergana is similar to "Tamarai Perum gana". The septs and totems are something indigenous to the Mundari people. They have come from their basic culture. Many totems were formed in course of time, but their names certainly show Tamil or Sanskrit words mingled in their language. The co-existence of Tamil and Sanskrit in these names show how these two languages had co-existed as part and parcel of the society in their previous origins.
In this context it must be mentioned, that the famous Tamil Sangam age Grammar book called "Tholkappiyam" (meaning 'ancient Kavya') was authored by a descendant of Jamadagni's lineage or Jamadagni Gotra! Popularly known as "Tholkappiyar", his original name was 'Trunadhoomagni' In the very first verse of this grammar book he expresses his qualification as having mastered the Sanskrit Vyakarana text called Aindram. It is with the knowledge of this Vyakarana text, he had written the grammar for Tamil. A JAmadagya possessing fine knowledge of Tamil and even qualified to write a grammar book in Tamil that became the official grammar book of the Sangam Assembly is a crucial piece of evidence that Tamil was a widely spoken language and that it co-existed along with Sanskrit in India, particularly from Vindhyas downward south and among Vedic sages. The probable time period of this grammar book was 1500 BCE – the time when the last and the 3rd Sangam was inaugurated.
The Mundari tribes.
The Mundas had existed as Maruttas and then as Marundas. Those who were engaged in iron smelting were identified as Asurs. The Santals seem to have come from Coromandal coasts. The Savaras came from the Vindhya regions. The Kurukhs aka Oraons came from Kishkindha as they were descendants of vanaras. "The 'Bhuiyas', a Munda tribe, call themselves as Pāwan-ka-put or Children of the Wind, that is of the race of Hanumān, who was the Son of the Wind". {5}
The former regions of these tribes were near Vindhyas and the west coast of South India. The warrior ancestors of these tribes living in these regions left these regions due to fear of Parashurama and later settled in the hills and forests of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Bengal and Orissa. Of them the mention of Savaras by Mahabharata comes as a strong evidence of why they still continue to be as they are now. The Mahabharata says that they became Kshatriya vrratyas due to the rage of Parashurama. The Savaras and others who fled had to live on whatever they could lay their hands on. They had to subsist on anything that they can catch hold of, say a frog or rat. Mahabharata 18-135 says,
"By accepting food from a eunuch, or from an ungrateful person, or from one who has misappropriated wealth entrusted to his charge, one is born in the country of the Savaras situated beyond the precincts of the middle country."
This is to say that one would get degraded food in Savara areas which was beyond the Madhya desa – of Saraswathi basin. Though Savaras existed in seclusion, their existence was known to people in Mahabharata times.
The fear of Parashurama resonated upto Pumpukaar of the Chola kingdom. The reigning Cholan king Kanthan handed over the kingdom to his son born to a concubine thinking that Parashurama would not consider him to be pure kshatritya race. That Parashurama went after only valiant kshatriyas is known by a similar reference to one "Balika" of Amshuman dynasty who was always surrounded by women. This earned him a name "NAru kavacha" – the one who is protected by women. It is for this reason he was spared by Parashurama, says Srimad Bhagavatham {6}
Inscriptional evidence:-
That the Parashurama episode was a fact of history is known from an inscription of the Cholas. Parashurama crowned the one born to a Haihaya princess whose father was killed by him while his wife was pregnant with this child. Parashurama crowned him somewhere in Konkan region near a hill called Mooshika (in Tamil "Ezhil malai"). This king was called as Rama kuta Mooshika – one crowned by Rama of Bhargava kula. King Rajendra Chola I captured this crown given by Parashurama from the "sAntima dweepa" {7}
Today no place exists by this name. But the Tulu Gramapadhata mentions an island called "sAnti" as one among 77 islands that belonged to Gorashtra on the west coast of India. {8} None of these islands exist today. But a look at the sea level maps of Graham Hancock shows that some islands had existed in this part of the sea which were once an extension of west coast at the time of Ice age.
The following series of maps would reveal the changes that happened in course of time.
The figure below shows the complete inundation of the island under sea water. The arrow-mark in yellow points to the sunken island which is seen in light blue.
This image shows the region of south west in the Kurma Chakra of division of India as it existed about 2000 years ago. According to Varaha mihira, places called Hemagiri, Sindhukalaka, Raivataka, Surashtra, Baadara, Dravida and Maharnva were located within the curve as shown in the figure above. {9}
This region housed some important places of pilgrimage in Mahabharata times.
There is reference in Mahabharata of a pilgrimage by Pandavas that speak about the islands off Konkan coast near Surparaka where sacrificial platforms for Jamadagni were present. {10}. As per Mahabharata accounts, the Pandavas went to Surparaka. From there they crossed certain tract on the coast of the sea and reached the islands dotted with forests. Those places were beheld by rulers and ascetics in the past. The Pandavas offered their worship, fasted and made donations. Then from there they came back to Surparaka. From Surparaka they went to Prabhas (Somnath) where the pilgrimage was formally concluded. {11}
The islands off Konkan coast that Pandavas visited are no longer there. A marine exploration of this region would reveal many clues to Parashurama's historicity.
West-coast connection to Dravida and Manu
The importance of those islands is something that goes far beyond Parashurama's times. What it could be?
An important feature of the Parashurama episode is that he relocated Brahmins in the stretch of west coast that was reclaimed from the sea. In the process, people like Kurukhs /Oraons had to quit this place or were forced to leave this place to make room for the new settlers. The so-called Dravida Brahmins were made to settle in this stretch who later spanned out to Kanchipuram and Andhra. Of all the places in India, why Parashurama chose this stretch and even made his final abode in Surparaka in this stretch is a big question. Added to this is the mystery of the sunken islands off Surparaka that Pandavas visited.
There are many leads to unravel this mystery in British records, Mahabharata and some inscriptions on Dravida lands in this stretch as far as south Kerala near "Aryan-kaavu" – the place where the famous Iyappa temple is located. An analysis of these leads give us a revelation that Vaivaswatha manu also known as Dravidewara Manu was living in this stretch before Holocene when the sea levels were low due to Ice age in the Northern hemisphere. When the sudden sea floods happened at the end of Ice age, Manu and his men (who were prepared for the flood) were pushed by the sea currents in the Arabian seas that gushed from Indian Ocean. The currents carried them northward and pushed them into river Saraswati and reached them as far as the Himalayan mountains. The birth of Rig Vedas started after that. But the previous habitat in the west coast of India was lost to the seas.
The following illustration shows the probable movement of inhabitants - Vaivaswata Manu and his subjects and sages who lived in the coastal extensions at the beginning of Holocene.
River saraswati was flowing mightily at that time. The estuary of that river formed the entry point of Manu pushed by the currents (or pulled by the Mathsya, the mythical Fish) which came to be called as Dwaraka. Every time this entry was swallowed by the sea, another Dwaraka was built in remembrance of that early entry that facilitated the growth of new civilisation of Vaivaswatha Manu.
In course of time, when the domination of Kshatriyas grew to the extent of arrogance, Parashurama was present in the picture affected by an act of arrogance and atrocity by the Kshatriyas (Haihaya Kartha veeryarjuna) . He decided to call it a day and destroyed every kshatriya around him. Wanting to start from the beginning, he reclaimed the lost coast of Dravida Manu and settled the Brahmins who had come from the time of Manu. The explanation and justification of this require another series of articles which I will take up in a future date.
{1} Brihad samhita – chapter 26.
{2} "The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India" - Volume IV of IV, by R.V. Russell
{3} "Tribal culture of India" L.P Vidyarthi & Binay Kumar p260
inscriptions/south_indian_ inscriptions/volume_3/no_205b_ aditya_ii_karikala.html
{5} "The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India", Vol 3 by R. V. Russell
{6} Srimad Bhagavatham - 9.9.40
{7} One dated at 1024 AD found on a rock on top of Thirumalaik kunRu near POLur and another dated 1031 AD found in the southern side of the sanctum sanctum of Rajarajeswara temple in Tanjore.
{8} "Ancient Karnataka" Vol I 'History of Tuluva'.
{9} Brihad samhita 14- 19
{10} Mahabharata 3-88
{11} Mahabharata 3-118

subset: commoncrawl


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Gen Con Indy 2015 will be here in just a few more days.
This year I go as a blank. There is nothing I am truly wanting to try or buy. It is both a sad and refreshing feeling.
After looking over my vices, it is strange to not have anything I am in dire need of purchasing.
Of course that doesn't mean that I'll come home empty handed. At the least I'll come home with some nerdy t-shirt, I always do.
Perhaps I can try to get a demo of Infinity in to see how it is really played?
If Privateer Press has The Undercity to play I might try that. Maybe? I think the cost of the game is a bit steep though. Besides that, unless they are releasing the new Hordes book, I don't see any purchases from them.
Flying Frog has nothing new for The Last Night on Earth games.
Maybe there will be some new or rando board game to peak my interest?
At the bare minimum there will at least be a ton of stuff to gawk at.
Even with nothing on my game radar, I am still getting all a twitter as the week progresses.
We are going Friday (with the gribblies) and Saturday (adults only) this year. If you see a bald guy with glasses, a sweet pair of Chuck Taylor's, and backpack with some pins then say "Hey." It might be me…or one of a few hundred other people.
If you live in the quasi-barren wasteland of the American mid-West ,and are any type of geek, then get over to Indianapolis this weekend! There really is no real excuse for not attending at least one day out of the four. You really are doing yourself a disservice in not going once in your life.


text:
NAPLES, FL. -- Motorcyclist Robert Colantonio, 49 of Naples was fatally injured by a hit and run driver on I-75 Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
An unidentified driver and Colantonio were both traveling south on I75 (SR 93) southbound at the 116 MM. The hit and run driver was traveling in the inside lane (left) , and Colantonio's 2001 Harley Davidson Road King motorcycle was traveling in the outside lane (right).
The unknown driver changed from the inside lane to the right lane behind the motorcycle at a faster
rate of speed and the driver failed to reduce speed to avoid a collision and struck the rear portion of the cycle with its front portion which continued south and came to final rest on the southbound paved shoulder of I75.
The unknown driver fled the crash before authorities arrived. A witness described the hit and run vehicle as a four door silver, gold or dark color sedan with major front end damage and clear windows driven by a white male.
Anyone who may have witnessed this crash or has any knowledge as to the identity / location of the hit and run driver and/or vehicle, is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol and Trooper Wright at 239-938-1800 .


text:
On the eve of spring light lingers longer on the Ides Of March and thoughts tend to dwell on new buds, sprouts, gardens, the greening and things Irish that Mother has given to the children. Ages untold carved in stone haunting beauty filled memories of times and words unspoken, yet known in the flow of blood, bone, heart, mind and Spirit of the universe with a slap of the seas that touch the shores and ever call one home. The air is rich with winter's last chill and sweet damp fog that cause the heart drum like thunder thrill a fiddlers dream in the pipes of the winds. Ah, the glory of the terrible beauty of the All.
The roses of a past year only rest as in dreams with roots held warm deep in the earth to gain anew in the light of spring.
Indeed this life is a gift and a blessing each unique single moment a clear calling as we are in the passing and being.
Indeed it is good to be about and poetic in prose on the Eve Of Spring, The Ides Of March And An Irish Thing in the roses of time.
As ever be well, Stephen Craig Rowe


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August 23, 2012
Bathroom Organizing
9 comments:
Ah, I was I was this organized! Looks great.ReplyDelete
go for the glam
I love having all my make-up organised! Yours all looks lovely and so easy to find things :) I love your storage.ReplyDelete
Thanks ladies! I do love to organize :)ReplyDelete
I think I need to follow this example! I am hardly this organized but I certainly have aspirations to be so!ReplyDeleteReplies
Rebecca Jane, I'm typically a very messy person so I need to be as organized as possible! I'm always I took the time to do it :)Delete
- Anonymous4 September 2012 at 17:01
These are great tips! I'm not the most organized person ever, and in the morning, time is of the essence! I should follow your stellar example.ReplyDeleteReplies
Yes, anything to extend your sleep in the morning is a good thing :)Delete
I need to do this, it's actually embarrassing how unorganized and messy my makeup draw is :-SReplyDelete
Btw, just came across your blog, and love it! Am now a follower :-)Replies
Thanks Olesya! Yes it was really worth putting the time in and getting it organized! I find it keeps your makeup nice for longer as well xoDelete