Magician of Oz

New characters and creatures abound in the old Land of Oz while many of the old characters we know and love make their own appearances in this newest tale of fantasy, adventure, truth and friendship in a familiar, yet not so familiar world of Oz.

There's the Leader of the Sycamores, the Gnarled Scrub Oak, the Flowering Plum Tree and the Council of Trees. All of these magical and strange characters prove quite the challenge for a young magician who finds himself in a strange and wonderful land.

Of course, we also get to meet Dorothy and Ozma, Glinda and the Tin Woodman, as well as Toto, Bungle the Glass Cat, Billina the Hen and numerous other beloved characters from L.Frank Baums' original tale of wonder and magic.

Story Description

Life in Indiana was quite the adventure for young Jamie Diggs and his parents. After a tumultuous move from Kansas, Jamie explores the covered bridges, forests and cemeteries of rural Indiana where he discovers the ways of the Hoosiers.

When his parents bring up an old humpback trunk from their basement, Jamie discovers his magical heritage lurking inside, including a pocket watch that predicts the weather, an old gold coin bearing the likeness of three young girls and an odd assortment of magical aparatus.

Jamie learns the ways of magic from a local magic club, meets Tree-In-The-Road, gathers Morel mushrooms for his mother’s legendary potato soup and discovers his great grandfather, the original Wizard of Oz's sentry stone.

He soon finds himself transported to the Land of Oz where he must face the wrath of the Fighting Trees who have grown bitter after their defeat at the hands of the Tin Woodman so long ago.

In this compelling tale of fantasy and adventure in the Land of Oz, the young magician discovers new friends along the way, conquers his fears and battles the oncoming wave of trees and mushrooms alongside Dorothy and Toto.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

LCROSS and Magician of Oz... A Lunatic Prize!

For those who do not know me, I am many things. A father, husband, grandfather, scientist, educator, magician, author and Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma of Oz!

In addition, I am an astronomer. I have been for over 40 years. Mind you, not the backyard, once-a-year, only when its warm and only early in the evening type.

No....

I've paid my dues with over 2700 hours of eyepiece time, numerous published articles and observations, as well as a dedicated and proven track record in public astronomy and astrophotography.

I've ran observatories, planetariums, day-camps, single-day events, conferences and the like. Over the years, I've garnered a number of awards, honors, recognitions and other such trivia.

Now comes a unique honor that please me greatly.

The Lunar and Planetary Institute is an educational institution sponsored by NASA that promotes space education through outreach.
Their latest venture is a website dedicated to lunar stuff and such and is called MyMoon. It is a very impressive site.

The most recent project MyMoon decided to promote NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) program, which was intended to impact the Moon with both a significant mass object and a follow-up sensing satellite that would also impact the Moon, creating twin impacts sites on the Moon’s surface at the south pole. This was done in an attempt to detect traces of water vapor liberated from the impact.

Despite media disappointment at no visible plume from impacts, which came as no surprise to anyone who understands vector physics and lunar soil composition, much data was obtained and now undergoes detailed analysis.

Now my part comes into view...

MyMoon sponsored a contest to name the last words of LCROSS and my submission was voted number one (The Winner!) by public poll.

... and the winning phrase was: "I went to the Moon and all I got was this lousy crater!"

... and the crowd goes wild!!!!!

I was awarded a Moon Mini-globe for my efforts, which always pleases the lunatic in me.

Carpe Luna!!!!

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Sunday, November 1, 2009

What is Ozzy? Is it the Banana Man?

My son did something very nice for me today. He downloaded onto my cel phone the theme music for the Captain Kangaroo show, which now plays every time I get a call. This makes me extremely happy as anyone who has read my interview in the Wizards Wireless forum of The Daily Ozmapolitan will know.

This got me to thinkin' (always a scary thought) about how I came to accept Oz as a real place.
Of course, my parents were a crucial part of this as they read to me often during my childhood and Oz was a central them in our readings. Captain Kangaroo was another influence... but, it was the Banana Man ( a character on the Captain Kangaroo show) that did the trick for me. How? Check out this video from Youtube and ponder...

Now, it's nearly 8 minutes long and as you watch it, no doubt you'll be asking yourself how can this nonsense be Ozzy when there is no mention of Oz. I submit to you that it is indeed Ozzy for the following reason.

It legitimizes the absurd... and Oz is, above all else, absurd!

Heresy! you say... and yet, the world of Oz is replete with absurdities upon absurdities. In fact, it is based entirely upon the premise of absurdity. After all, where in the Great Outside will you find living scarecrows, talking hens, a mechanical army of Oz, and so forth?

Watching the Banana Man and many other odd characters on this one show gave me the courage to accept the absurd as both real and attainable. Many years have I spent seeking out the absurd, only to find it standing tall before me at the Gates of the Emerald City.

And so I ask each of you the following question...

What absurdity in your life, not involving Oz, had the most impact on your choice to embrace the world of Oz?

And the one question I ask myself is... How did he get those watermelons in there?

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Inspiration for Oz and it's Newest Dog!

My wife's dog!!!

As you can see, he loves me dearly...

Even so, it does give Magician of Oz inspiration to consider Evil and it's resolution in the Land of Oz.

I'll call him.... Cobbler!

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Who is the Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma?

My name is James C. Wallace II and I am the Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma, Royal Ruler of Oz.

I was born one day short of the 41st anniversary of the passing of Lyman Frank Baum, the kind gentleman who wrote The Wizard of Oz over a hundred years ago.

I grew up in a loving household where my parents read to me on a daily basis and taught me the joy of reading. Many a night I recall sitting in our front room as my mother would read from the many books of Oz and my father would act out some of the odd scenes pictured within.

As I grew up, my love for reading never diminished and my parents support for my love of reading never wavered. In addition, I was fortunate enough to encounter a number of mentors who would shape my view of the world and how I would find my way in it.

In particular was Captain Kangaroo, otherwise known as Bob Keeshan. His unique program was instrumental in shaping my mind towards the joy of learning.

Another was Clyde Crashcup, an odd cartoon character who inspired me to become a scientist and educator. Despite what many psychologists would have you believe, television did not rot my brain. In fact, my fondest memories of childhood were of Saturday mornings in front of the TV machine watching the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour and eating Captain Crunch with Crunchberries cereal.

Another mentor was a NASA scientist; Gene Shoemaker, who, by correspondence inspired me to be an astronomer. This was during the late 60's and early 70's when NASA was king of the hill, so to speak.

The most important mentor was my father, who inspired me to try everything and learn from those experiences. He got me involved in Toastmasters International and the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Those two organizations were directly responsible for much of my success as a public speaker and educator.

Fast forward to the mid-80's and my love of reading is now manifested in the lives of my 5 children as I read countless books to them, including the 14 books of Oz written by L. Frank Baum.

During this time, I am also completing my college education in Physics and running a public observatory teaching children about the night sky. This time is where the seeds of working for children's issues began for me.

Following my tenure at Indiana State University, I took a position as Planetarium Educator for The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

By the way, if I haven't mentioned it before, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the finest children's museum anywhere in the world. If you've visited there, you'll certainly agree. If you haven't, please make the time to do so. You'll not be disappointed. Be sure to visit SpaceQuest Planetarium at the museum. It's the best part of the museum.

Anyway, during my time there, I made it a point to be a mentor to youth volunteers and thus found my calling. To impact the lives of children in a positive manner is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. It was during this period that I became involved with junior high school children in the inner city region of Indianapolis.

One day, while engaged in testing some educational software about Geography for 6th graders, I encountered quite a number of children who could not read, literally. It's one thing to suggest that there are kids in America who cannot read. It's quite another to come face-to-face with them.
I found myself at the end of the day sitting in my car in the parking lot shaking with remorse and resolving to do something about what I had just witnessed.
I then spent the next year in various teachers lounges having lunch with teachers and trying to understand how they could allow a child to go through school without mastering the art of reading.
Although some teachers cared deeply about their students, many cared only for their paycheck and thought little of the impact their negligence and disregard for the future of the next generation caused. This was reinforced by a school administration hamstrung by budget concerns and state-mandated test scores.

As a result, today's child has lost the art of reading. No longer do children sit down to read a book, to linger within the world of fiction and fantasy. Nowadays, kids are glued to the computer screen and read in snippets. In fact, with the advent of text messages, most kids now understand a truncated language that would have Daniel Webster spinning in his grave.

Only in the last few years has the Harry Potter effect taken hold and inspired kids to pick up the traditional book and immerse themselves in another world.
Despite this momentary reawakening, most kids still reach for the cel phone and communicate with their thumbs. Most kids would have trouble taking the time to sit down with a good book and giving themselves over to the realm of fantasy. They prefer the instant gratification that comes with a world overflowing with technology.

The book has become a lost art, and with that thought in mind, I chose to reinvigorate the original dream of L. Frank Baum.

In writing about young Jamie Diggs, the great grandson of O.Z. Diggs, the original Wizard of Oz, my most sincere desire is that children will pick up my book and rediscover the joy of reading.
If only a single child comes to understand and appreciate the joy of reading, then I have achieved my dream.
If, by writing about this wonderful land and all of its unique characters, I can inspire children and introduce them to the joy of reading, even if it be only a single child, I will have made an impact that reaches far beyond my own lifetime.

To this end, I have committed all my efforts towards creating an environment where kids will want to pick up that book and put aside that cel phone for a few moments. If I can serve as a mentor promoting Literacy to our youth, then I will have realized my dream.

Magician of Oz

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Saturday, November 7, 2009

LCROSS and Magician of Oz... A Lunatic Prize!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

What is Ozzy? Is it the Banana Man?

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Inspiration for Oz and it's Newest Dog!

Who is the Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma?