Let me rephrase that.
Whoa.
It can't ever be said that J.K. Rowling plays it safe.
This is about as mean a thing to do as there's ever been done in a book, kids' or no. This is the sort of thing that would make one squeamish if it had happened in a far more mature book.
That sound you're hearing this weekend is millions of children from ages 6 to 106 screaming in abject horror.
Three chapters left to go in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Let's see how this ends...
Click on the link if you like. I gotta say, that's just darned creepy-looking.
For him to speak about that, here in North Carolina, is sorta like Heinrich Himmler making a speech in the middle of the Warsaw ghetto about the merits of "relocation".
Seriously, that takes some brazen bones to do that here. North Carolina has lost countless jobs in the textile industry under the North American Free Trade Agreement and now CAFTA only promises more of the same. Pretty soon, this state won't have much of an industrial base in anything left to stand on.
If anyone asks me why I have it in for Bush, why I believe he's a horrible president, this is the reason. This and his HORRIBLE stance on illegal immigration. Ross Perot warned about that "giant sucking sound" of American jobs heading overseas after the passage of NAFTA over ten years ago: people laughed at him then, but he was right. CAFTA is just going to be more of the same. You gotta understand something about the mindset of Bush and others like him: they don't believe in a sovereign United States of America. They don't believe we should be our own country. To them, we should have NO borders with Canada and Mexico. We should instead be one large North American superstate... conveniently, with Bush and his family and other "elites" like them in charge of it. That's where they've been taking us for decades and now it looks like they're pretty close to achieving their goal.
This is the kind of thing that American patriots used to take up torches and pitchforks - and a lot worse harmful items - to protest by whatever means necessary.
By the way, our senators Richard Burr and Liddy "I'm not a real North Carolinian or conservative Republican but I got installed in the Senate by the GOP anyway" Dole both voted in favor of CAFTA. A pox upon BOTH their houses!
I sorta feel like the Jerry Lewis of the fan-film scene now :-P
An Associated Press news report told of 1,900 sheep following one another over a cliff in Turkey, resulting in the deaths of 450. The sheep had been grazing when, without explanation, some members of the herd began leaping from the cliff. The others followed the lead, providing an example of “sheepish” behavior.Long but deep reading well worth the time to take it in.What a fitting metaphor for the herd-oriented behavior of humans. Political systems – along with various corporate interests that have produced the homogeneous corporate-state – have succeeded in getting people to organize themselves into opposing herds. These multitudes are placed under the leadership of persons who function like “Judas goats,” a term derived from the meat-packing industry. Judas goats are trained to lead sheep to the slaughterhouse, slipping safely away as the others are led to the butcher. Political leaders take their flocks to the deadly precipice, depart to the safety of their bunkers, and allow herd instincts to play out their deadly course. With the help of the media, Bush, Blair, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Rice, et al., perform the Judas goat function quite well, rousing the herds into a “let’s you and him fight” mindset without occasioning the loss of their own blood. You will not see any of these smug, arrogant creatures in the front lines of battle: that is the purpose served by the “masses” (i.e., the “herds”).
Jones urges fans to stay away from ‘Hazzard’I've heard nothing but bad about this movie. Why oh why did Burt Reynolds and Willie Nelson sign up to make this?!
07/14/2005By Doug Gross
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — If television’s ‘‘Crazy Cooter’’ has his way, fans of the ‘‘Dukes of Hazzard’’ may be speeding away from a new movie version of the cornpone classic faster than the Duke boys running from Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane.
Ben Jones, a former Georgia congressman who played the wisecracking mechanic on the popular series from 1979-85, said profanity and sexual content in the film make a mockery of the family friendly show.
‘‘Basically, they trashed our show,’’ said Jones, who now lives in the mountains of Washington, Va. ‘‘It’s one thing to do whatever movie they want to do, but to take a classic family show and do that is like taking ‘‘I Love Lucy’’ and making her a crackhead or something.’’
Jones said he read a script of the movie, which is scheduled to be released next month, and that it contained profanity, ‘‘constant sexual innuendo and some very clear sexual situations.’’
Ironically, Bush could salvage a lot of dignity by firing Rove today and holding him accountable for anything he may have illegally or unethically done. But I'm not counting on that happening.
By most indications, certainly more than can be readily countered or refuted, it was Rove who blew the cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame in order to "get even" with Plame's husband Joe Wilson for crossing the Bush cabal. Per this administration's own definitions, this should be considered a case of wartime treason. Bush himself promised dire consequences for whoever was responsible. There should be an earnestly dire attempt to get to the bottom of the matter by everyone - and I mean everyone concerned. Instead the Bush White House is either stonewalling or blank-faced denying that Rove did anything wrong while continuing to support him, no questions asked. And instead of scrutinizing their own house, they are attacking the sources of the allegations: Wilson, Plame, Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper who is supposed to be testifying this week to the grand jury looking into the matter, anyone else who's now daring to question this administration. Wilson is now being branded a "liar" while Rove's lawyer says that Rove didn't really name Plame as being undercover... meaning that "Wilson was bad so we admit attacking his wife." Yesterday Rove's lawyer accused Cooper of "burning" Rove... ummmm yeah attack the guy who is probably going to testify against you anyway before a grand jury. Like we used to say on the basketball court: "Smooth move Ex-Lax."
I don't know if this is really legit or not, but Raw Story just posted the Republican "talking points" on how to discuss the issue. And so far the Republicans are following their cues to the letter.
All of this makes me sadly shake my head. It wasn't all that long ago that something along very similar lines - but involving a lot less than wartime betrayal - was happening in Washington. And back then it was the Democrats defending Bill Clinton: committing baseless character assassinations against anyone thought to be "the opposition", disseminating "talking points", trying to rally the faithful (I can't believe that MoveOn.org is still around), etc. And it was the Republicans on the offensive. I know, I was there: I was watching Free Republic during the Clinton impeachment (back when it was still an intellectually engaging website, before it became a cage full of Bush-obsessed howler monkeys) and the Republicans were out for blood. I thought they had a very good case to press. The Democrats sounded desperate and shrill: some of them genuinely made my ears hurt after listening to them screaming against the "right-wing conspiracy" on the cable talk shows.
Well, it's seven years later and the tables have turned a full 180 degrees. The Bush administration is now as suspect as Clinton's ever was... if not more so. The offensive team is now scrambling for higher ground.
In short: what the Democrats were under Clinton, is precisely what the Republicans have become under Bush. The Republicans is literally a faction that was so obsessed with the enemy, that it became the enemy.
I should feel a bit of smug satisfaction at this turn of events: this administration is finally having its just desserts after five years of unprecedented pride and arrogance and everything evil that comes with them. Instead I feel regret at what has become of America. This is no longer a country where elected officials are the acme of common virtues. Instead those officials have become like much of the rest of America: a nation of bullies. Things like honor and truth now play second-fiddle to "smart" political maneuvering and "getting away" with it. Not one or the other of the two major parties is solely to blame: they are both at fault. Along with a lazy media that's grown soft from corporate ownership and a complacent people that would rather tune in to see if Michael Jackson is found guilty than pay attention to how it is that evil men are stealing their children's national birthright.
Am I expecting "justice" out of the Rove/Plame affair? No, of course not. I never expected justice out of the Clinton/Lewinsky thing. But that doesn't mean I'm compelled to celebrate such back-handed chicanery either.
1. The Other MinisterChapter 22 is the scary-sounding one. I've heard that a major character dies in this one (which will honk off a LOT of readers if its anything like the character J.K. Rowling "offed" in the last book). Las Vegas should do a "betting odds" thing for this. Personally I'm betting that Rowling kills off Dumbledore. He's like the Obi-Wan Kenobi of this story, the "elder master" who's been guiding Harry into wisdom and experience... but for the apprentice to really come into his own, the master must step aside. That's what's being set up right now, I think. Dumbledore's death will be the final thing that "clicks" it all into place for Harry to fulfill his destiny. That, and because nothing would ratchet up the "oh CRAP NOW WHAT?!?" element for this saga than to kill off its number-one figure of goodness and authority. The clues are all there, including these chapter titles: "The Phoenix Lament"? That's Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes crying over his dead master. "The White Tomb"? Who else could be buried there? Why else is Dumbledore shown on the cover of book #6 with Harry? He's never been on the cover of any others before now, so this is like finally getting his time in the spotlight before the curtain falls. Yeah, light a candle and say a prayer for Albus Dumbledore: his days just might be numbered.2. Spinner's End
3. Will and Won't
4. Horace Slughorn
5. An Excess of Phlegm
6. Draco's Detour
7. The Slug Club
8. Snape Victorious
9. Half-Blood Prince
10. The House of Gaunt
11.Hermione's Helping Hand
12. Silver and Opals
13. The Secret Riddle
14. Felix Felicis
15. The Unbreakable Vow
16. A Very Frosty Christmas
17. A Sluggism Memory
18. Birthday Surprises
19. Elf Tails
20. Lord Voldemort's Request
21. The Unknowable Room
22. After the Burial
23. Horcruxes
24. Sectumsempra
25. The Seer Overheard
26. The Cave
27. The Lightning-Struck Tower
28. Flight of the Prince
29. The Phoenix Lament
30.The White Tomb
The good news is, I'm also betting that Dumbledore comes back somehow, either "resurrected" in the flesh or as a ghost (remember what Near-Headless Nick said about that toward the end of Order of the Phoenix, hmmmmmm?).
Intel analyst: Attack on U.S. imminentMash here for the rest of the story. If this does happen, I'll bet good money that it will be because the perpetrators easily crossed the border from Mexico, or perhaps from Canada. Our border security is a sham and a half, and so far President Bush and a complacent Congress are doing nothing to improve the situation. You can't have a secure nation without recognized and enforced borders of some sort. That doesn't mean we erect walls on the north and south and barricade both coastlines, but it does mean that we cast a more wary eye on who is coming into our country and for what purpose. As it stands now, it's almost as if Bush and crew are inviting disaster to sneak across into America.Former Israeli agent says government not preparing citizens
Posted: July 9, 2005
1:00 a.m. EasternTerrorists will try to carry out an attack on the United States within the next 90 days, a former Israeli counterterrorism intelligence officer predicts.
Juval Aviv, head of the New York-based intelligence company Interfor and a special consultant to the U.S. Congress, told Fox News his information is based primarily on intelligence "floating in Europe and the Middle East."
An event is "imminent and around the corner here in the United States," he said. "It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most."
Aviv, author of "Staying Safe: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business," said Americans should look at what happened in London and expect mass transportation to be the next target of attack.
"We have put all of our emphasis, right or wrong, on the aviation area," he said. "What has happened, in the last two to three years, based on information we have, the terrorists have realized that they cannot hijack a plane in America soon because the passengers are going to fight back."
(SNIP)
"What they're going to do is hit six, seven, or eight cities simultaneously to show sophistication and really hit the public," Aviv said.
But this time, he emphasized, it will not only be big cities.
"They're going to try to hit rural America," Aviv said. "They want to send a message to rural America: 'You're not protected. If you figured out that if you just move out of New York and move to Montana or to Pittsburgh, you're not immune. We're going to get you wherever we can and it's easier there than in New York.'"
Expect bad repercussions across the board if this intelligence guy's warning has some validity to it. I don't know if it does or not, but I do know that it was this same time four years ago that we got a warning, and we didn't heed it very well.
Law Bans License-Plate Spraying To Foil Radar, CamerasThis has nothing at all to do with the ability of "law enforcement" (which is a wrongfully-applied term anyway: the old-fashioned "peace officers" is more appropos). This does have everything to do with revenue-enhancement for the state though. This law is targetting those spray-on reflective glosses that are specifically intended to foil "red-light cameras", which are already a breach of personal privacy and civil liberty by the government. To which I say: to hell with 'em. If the state can't produce a living, breathing witness against you in a court of law when it seeks to deprive you of your property (i.e. money) it has no right to press a case against you at all. And YOU should have every right to make it as difficult as possible for the state to even pursue such a thing against you. Pataki isn't giving a damn about "public safety": he knows that such cameras are a HUGE money-making racket that most people won't even take the trouble to contest, instead opting to pay the fine and trusting "Big Brother"'s judgement against their own. And anything that gives the average person an advantage over Big Brother... well, can't very well have THAT now, can they? Next thing you know, regular folks will be getting even MORE uppity, start thinking they know better than the state official do after all.
Law To Take Effect In 120 DaysPOSTED: 9:54 pm EDT July 8, 2005
UPDATED: 1:19 pm EDT July 9, 2005ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. George Pataki on Friday signed a new law that bans using sprays or other synthetic materials to hide license plates from radar and camera detection.
The sprays, available online and elsewhere, create a gloss invisible to the naked eye that reflects the flash of radar or traffic cameras, making it difficult to identify a license plate by electronic means.
"It's important that law enforcement have the ability to identify all vehicles that use our public roadways, and anything that hinders their ability to do that is clearly a public safety hazard," Pataki said in a statement.
The law will take effect in 120 days.
If Pataki is going to seriously enforce this law, I hope and pray that the people of New York state will go on the offensive... and debilitate as many of these ILLEGAL cameras as possible. And there's lots of ways to do that, if you exercise a little creativity (wink-wink).
Man commits suicide after learning Harry Potter spoilerClick on the above link for more.By Andy Borowitz
'I no longer have a reason to live,' says despondent fan
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | A rabid Harry Potter fan took his life yesterday after inadvertently learning a plot spoiler from the soon-to-be-released J.K. Rowling opus, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
Jude Ralston, 32, of Hudson, Ohio left a suicide note indicating that since overhearing the plot spoiler at a shopping mall earlier in the day, "I no longer have a reason to live."
