Whenever you use ...animated:YES/NO the Cocoa framework will determine if it can/can not do it and more often than not it just fails. Like Michael said, you might not be on the main thread or who knows what. If you look at the latest Lion API's for fullscreen animation on an NSWindow you will find various delegates for the animation failing providing details.
So I wouldn't expect Apple to go back with an animator and add such functionality.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.