July 27, 2007

Harry Potter Follow-Up

Just finished Deathly Hallows last night. I enjoyed the book, but was disappointed by the loose ends left hanging. Now I know why -- J.K. Rowling admits that she left out a lot of details about the years between the climax and the epilogue that seem to cry out for answers.

She has now revealed some of them.

We know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child.

As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head.

“Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department,” Rowling said. “They are now the experts. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what else they’ve done.”

Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron’s wife, is “pretty high up” in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in “Deathly Hallows.”

“I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding,” Rowling said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a “really good place to be.”

“They made a new world,” Rowling said.


Personally, I found the details about Luna and Neville interesting as well. I wonder if Rowling ever expected Neville Longbottom to become the beloved character that he did. Indeed, I found his growth during the series to be almost as enjoyable to observe as I did the main plot of the series.

But not to worry -- it is very likely that there will be a Harry Potter encyclopedia, containing all that information and the back-stories about many of the characters and events. After all, Rowling has pages of material that she editted out that fans are dying for.

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July 24, 2007

Vick Benched

Will the NFL treat him as it has several other players in recent months? Or will quarterback Michael Vick's high profile get him special treatment?

Michael Vick was ordered by commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons' training camp until the league reviews the dog fighting charges against him.

"While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," Goodell said in a letter to the quarterback.

The NFL said Vick would still get his preseason pay and Goodell told the Falcons to withhold any disciplinary action of their own until the league's review was completed.

Goodell told Vick the league would complete its review as quickly as possible and that he expected full cooperation. The review is expected to involve conversations with federal law enforcement officials so the NFL can determine the strength of the case against Vick.

These are serious charges -- and Vick has been less than forthright throughout this case. If only for the sake of the league's image, Michael Vick needs to be off the field this season. And, as Captain Ed notes, the nexus between dogfighting and illegal gambling raises a troubling issue about Michael Vick's on-field integrity.

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July 21, 2007

How Much Is That Doggie in The Window?

My favorite pic from the Houston Chronicle's World Series of Dog Shows coverage.

sleepysharpei.jpg

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July 18, 2007

It Must Suck To Be A Lib-ocrite

I know -- as we found with LiveEarth, left-wing celebrities believe that the rules should apply only to the little people.

An employment tribunal ordered Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, on Tuesday to pay a former chef $51,000 in compensation after she won a sexual-discrimination claim against them.

Jane Martin, 41, won her claim in May. She said she was fired after she became pregnant.

At a hearing earlier this year, Martin said she had worked for the 55-year-old pop star and his wife for eight years, cooking meals for them and guests including Madonna and Elton John.

She said Styler grew unhappy with her after she became pregnant in 2005, making her work long hours and growing angry when she took time off work because of illness.

No doubt Sting and Trudie would consider themselves to be "pro-choice" and "pro-woman". But heaven forbid that a woman in their employ should exercise that choice.

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July 17, 2007

More Soft News

Or, as I suggested, soft core.

When it comes to being bootyful, Jessica Simpson knows just how to make a splash.

The pop princess/designer debuted her hot new swimwear line over the weekend at Miami Fashion Week, featuring both barely there bikinis and fuller-figured one-pieces.

But despite the cuts and colors of all her creations, Jess had one goal in mind: boosting the butt.

“I’ve always done a certain thing with the string bikini … I take a safety pin and do a ruching on the butt,” she revealed to "Extra."

“'Cause I don’t really have a, like I want more of a butt! We actually put that into the line for the girls who want more butt!”

Now i like big butts and I cannot lie. . . but what is it with FOXNews and Jessica Simpson? Did they purchase her along with the Wall Street Journal?

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July 15, 2007

Is This What They Call Soft News?

Or just soft-core?

Pop Tarts: Jessica SimpsonÂ’s Breasts ArenÂ’t Bogus

She may not be a natural-born blonde, but “Blonde Ambition” babe Jessica Simpson swears her bountiful bust isn't bogus.

"Maybe after having kids, if my boobs dropped down to my bellybutton, I would get them lifted," Simpson told her fashion designer friend Michael Kors for the August edition of HarperÂ’s Bazaar. "But you know, my boobs are real."

Don't you feel better knowing that they are real? I thought you would.

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July 08, 2007

How Harry Potter Ends

The New York Times offers five possibilities.

So here we are: at the end of the “Harry Potter” decade. The books have been printed and are under lock and key. (Presumably.) J. K. Rowling has made her choices. Harry is either going to live or die. Severus Snape is either evil or good — or maybe a little bit of both. Ginny will stick with Harry, and Ron will hook up with Hermione. Or not. Eager readers still have to wait a fortnight or so for answers to these questions.

Which is why the Op-Ed page asked four writers and one artist to fill the void and draft “Harry Potter” endings of their own.

In some he lives. In some he dies. One is unclear. And one is downright cynical.

And then there is this piece of graphic madness.

I envisioned scenes from an apocalyptic battle. Strung together in a nonlinear visual narrative, they are meant to set a certain mood. I intended to offer points of departure for the imagination rather than provide a concrete answer to the question of how it will all end.

— ANDREA DEZSÖ, an artist and a professor at Parsons the New School for Design

Uh. . . in other words, he doesn't have the faintest idea. Call it post-modern story-telling.

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