NealOz:
 

I'm not that old.

Me neither 8-X

On the subject of Oz...

. I love that nickname for Australia.

. Don't know if it's still there, but there used to be a bar in Paris, in the 5th not that far from Rue Mouffetard, called Oz. Needless to say, it was an Aussie hangout.

. The name of the movie <i>Zardoz</i>, with Sean Connery and the lucious Charlotte Rampling, was extracted from <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>

. Quite some time ago, I had read an article claiming that L. Frank Baum's <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> was a populism parable (with the scarecrow representing farmers, the tin man representing industrial workers, etc.) and that Oz was an abbreviation for &quot;ounce,&quot; having to do with a &quot;silverite coalition&quot; whose slogan was &quot;16 to 1&quot;, the ratio of sixteen ounces of silver to one ounce of gold. But that may not be the case. See...

The Rise and Fall of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a &quot;Parable on Populism&quot;

http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/Populism.htm

Capo, you are quite a character, I admire your quest for knowledge. Whatever subject comes up you delve deeper to find the meaning or origin.

You don't let life get boring do you?!
Good for you!

So, where does OZ come to be the nickname for Australia?

Neal, I Am!

Merci, SeaUrchin. 'Tis a bit easier than the quest for the Holy Grail. :)

As for Oz in Paris, the one I remember is apparently still there -- &quot;The original (quieter, more mature, and some may say better) Caf&eacute; Oz is near Le Panth&eacute;on.&quot; -- but it looks like there's another larger one in the 1st.

http://www.parispubs.com/pub2.php?id=14

No offense, mgmargate - it would have been a case of the pot calling the kettle black anyway.

Australians are very keen energy conservationists and so we like to abbreviate words wherever possible. 'Aussie' rhymes with 'Ozzie', but we've managed to get it down to one syllable.

The Queen pronounces it to rhyme with 'horse', though - as in 'Mai pipple in Orse-trellyah'. But she had the benefit of elocution lessons as a young gel.

Capo, you're an inexhaustible fount of arcane information. I never guess that Baum's story was a socio-political parable, but now it all falls into place. I'm looking forward to your upcoming dissection of Lewis Carroll's works. (Forget all that scurrilous stuff about the Rev. Dodgson photographing naked children, though - too obvious).

And thanks for the tip-off about the Aussie bar in Paris. I'll be sure to avoid it.

Balthus has become the Lewis Carroll of our generation.

Capo, it's good to see you get your due on Fodor's!!

Neal_Oz, actually, dude, have you ever seen pictures of &quot;Alice&quot;? In the younger photos she looks depressed, in the older photos he took of her, her eyes cannot meet the gaze of the camera. I don't know!

Back to the subject at hand: As old as what?

Capo, it would cool to hang out in that Oz bar you mentioned and then one could hang out at the Irish bar in the same area (rue Mirbel) called Connolly's Corner! Just for the juxtaposition, you understand.

Neither am I :D

Me too ! We change our identities when we travel ! there is nothing more anti-climactic than meeting another.

And then we could all go to the Scots bar near rue St. Antoine. . .

On the subject of Neal: isn't that the Vatican-sanctioned position for when you jenyooflecked?

(And I know you aren't, mg)

Elle:Hello

Elle, is that the one of rue Caron? The Pure Malt? I passed it every day on my way into and out of the Place St-Catherine! Is it a good place?

Like Steve I don't see the point of travelling just to hang out with other Australians. Beatgirl and Elle, I'll add the Irish and Scots bars to the banned list, thanks. That pub crawl sounds like a nightmare.

Beatgirl, for the sake of my immortal soul could you elaborate on Vatican-sanctioned positions? I've never heard of the one you mentioned. Reminds me of the story about a bunch of guys in a pub, all boasting about how many positions they know. One trumps everybody by claiming 100. &quot;So,&quot; says another, &quot;ignoring the missionary position, how about giving us a rundown?&quot; The first guy looks puzzled: &quot;Missionary?&quot; &quot;Yes, you know,&quot; says the second, launching into a description. The first pauses. &quot;OK,&quot; he announces, &quot;101&quot;.

I love this:

<i>'Mai pipple in Orse-trellyah'. But she had the benefit of elocution lessons as a young <b>gel</b></i>.

Beatchick, I'm not sure what the name of the side street is. Other side of rue St. Antoine than the Place Marche St. Catharine. I never checked the Scots bar out, although the guys in there looked cute. Probably Jacobites, though.

There's a tapas bar across the street. We could add that to the list.

mg: Yo.

Neil - LOL!!

&quot;Beatgirl, for the sake of my immortal soul could you elaborate on Vatican-sanctioned positions?&quot;
Sweetie, I think you mean Elle?

I think I'll take a weird position on this topic....:)

CigaleChanta, as long as it's not Vatican-sanctioned!! :)

LOL!!!