July 31, 2013

JK Rowling's letter to a fan who had written her after losing her parents:

In September of 2006, following a desperately sad childhood that saw both drug-addicted parents murdered and the care of her younger siblings left in her hands, 16-year-old Sacia Flowers decided to write to J. K. Rowling. In her heartfelt letter — full text here — she spoke of her love for the Harry Potter series and the empathy she felt for Harry given their upbringings; mentioned the bullying she experienced throughout school and her inability to make friends due to her insecurities; and then thanked the author for "lending me your hero and his world" during such a tough time, adding, "He is my hero, and you are my heroine."

Below is Rowling's lovely, encouraging repsonse.

Transcript follows:

In September of 2006, following a desperately sad childhood that saw both drug-addicted parents murdered and the care of her younger siblings left in her hands, 16-year-old Sacia Flowers decided to write to J. K. Rowling. In her heartfelt letter — full text here — she spoke of her love for the Harry Potter series and the empathy she felt for Harry given their upbringings; mentioned the bullying she experienced throughout school and her inability to make friends due to her insecurities; and then thanked the author for "lending me your hero and his world" during such a tough time, adding, "He is my hero, and you are my heroine."

Below is Rowling's lovely, encouraging repsonse.

Transcript follows.

(Source: HeraldNet; Image of J. K. Rowling via.)



Transcript
JKRowling

19th September 2006

Dear Sacia (beautiful name, I've never heard it before),

Thank you for your incredible letter; incredible, because you do indeed sound phenomenally like Harry Potter, in your physical resemblance and in your life experience. I cannot tell you how moved I was by what you wrote, nor how sorry I am to hear about your parents. What a terrible loss.

I know what it is like to be picked on, as it happened to me, too, throughout my adolescence. I can only wish that you have the same experience that I did, and become happier and more secure the older you get. Being a teenager can be completely horrible, and many of the most successful people I know felt the same way. I think the problem is that adolescence, though often misrepresented as a time of rebellion and unconventionality, actually requires everybody to conform if they aspire to popularity - or at least to 'rebel' while wearing the 'right' clothes! You're now standing on the threshold of a very different phase in your life, one where you are much more likely to find kindred spirits, and much less likely to be subject to the pressures of your teenage years.

It is an honour to me to know that somebody like you loves Harry as much as you do. Thank you very much for writing to me, I will treasure your letter (which entitles you to boast about this response as much as you like!)

With lots of love

JKRowling

(Jo to you!)
http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/07/i-will-treasure-your-letter.html?m=1

JKRocks!
Republicans are 100% muggle!

Rowling had real experience to draw upon when creating her evil characters. One of her parttime jobs was at Amnesty International. The letters she read and the stories she heard left an indelible mark.
Listen to her Harvard Commencement speech. The graduates grew up with Harry Potter.

July 31, 2013

Rescue

@Earth_Pics

Yay! You go rescuers.

July 31, 2013

Dolphins

@Earth_Pics

Amazing.

July 31, 2013

Alison Lundergran Grimes kicks off U.S. Senate campaign with barbs for Mitch McConnell

More than 1,000 people gathered on the large lawn of Carrick House in downtown Lexington Tuesday to help Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes officially kick off her bid to be Kentucky's next U.S. senator.

The event, which lasted more than an hour, featured a Who's Who of Kentucky Democrats, ranging from Gov. Steve Beshear to three former Democratic governors — Paul Patton, Martha Layne Collins and Julian Carroll — and a large video screen that showed messages from former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville.

It also was a family affair that included Grimes' husband, Andrew; her parents, former state Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan and Charlotte Lundergan; her four sisters; and her grandmother, Elsie Case, who has been instrumental in Grimes' campaign ads, particularly a recent online video in which she asks, "What rhymes with Mitch?"
<snip>
Grimes, who was elected Kentucky's secretary of state in 2011, went hard after McConnell in her speech at the kickoff. "There is a disease of dysfunction in Washington, and after almost 30 years, Sen. McConnell is at the center of it," she said.
<snip>
The Grimes campaign kickoff Tuesday showed a candidate who is itching to take on McConnell.
<snip>
It's a certainty that the Grimes campaign will get more help from former President Clinton, who is a friend of her father. In his video message, Clinton said Kentucky's 2014 U.S. Senate race is "very important" and that Grimes can win it. He also predicted that the campaign will be long and difficult.
A letter read from former U.S. Sen. Ford contained Ford's answer to "What rhymes with Alison Lundergan Grimes?" "It's changing times," he said.
<snip>
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/07/30/2741372/alison-lundergran-grimes-kicks.html#storylink=cpy

Gonna be a rumble in a back alley and Grimes is more than ready.
This will be a humdinger to watch. The amount of money coming into this race will be staggering. With Clinton's help and a unified KY Dem Party, Grimes will match Mitch dollar for dollar.

July 30, 2013

Russian lawmaker: We will arrest gay athletes, tourists at Olympic Games

'Gay propaganda' law co-sponsor says he is unconcerned about a US visa ban, saying: 'I've spoken to US politicians, and they support my stance'

A Russian lawmaker has said the ‘gay propaganda’ law will remain enforced during the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in 2014. Vitaly Milonov, co-sponsor of the ‘non-traditional relationships’ bill, said the government cannot decide when to selectively enforce the law.

It comes as the International Olympic Committee said the Russian government had ‘assured’ them all athletes and spectators will be safe from arrest.

Speaking to Interfax and as translated by GSN, Milonov said: ‘I have not heard any comments from the government of the Russian Federation but I know it is acting in accordance with Russian law.

‘If a law has been approved by the federal legislature and signed by the president, then the government has no right to suspend it. It doesn’t have the authority.’
More:
- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/russian-lawmaker-we-will-arrest-gay-athletes-tourists-olympic-games300713#sthash.1DZLDurd.dpuf

They better get their shite together.
This is an international incident waiting to happen.

July 30, 2013

Photo: The police providing security at a KKK rally:

@EarthPics

Sad......

July 30, 2013

From a Teaparty recommended book about food: How grapes are made-

Ha!
Some might believe this too.

July 30, 2013

Two photos from the past:

@HistoricalPics: 19 years ago today



@BeschlossDC: Here LBJ signs Medicare Act in presence of Harry Truman, Independence MO, 48 years ago today


My how time flies.

July 29, 2013

Bet you weren't this transfixed at the end of "Homeward Bound":

Two paws up!

July 28, 2013

Waterspouts occuring simultaneously in the Adriatic Sea.

Photographer: Roberto Giudici
Summary Authors: Roberto Giudici; Jim Foster
The photo above shows an eye-popping complex of waterspouts I observed over the Adriatic Sea on a boat trip to Brindisi, Italy.

As we departed, the weather was very summer like -- some humidity, hot and sunny. Cumuliform clouds developed during our excursion, but the weather didn't appear threatening. In fact, the atmospheric pressure was stable at 1024.

Suddenly, we saw a line of funnel clouds straight in front of our boat! The photo shows the most recently formed waterspout in the foreground; the oldest spout, in the background, would disappear in a few seconds.

Our boat actually passed through the scary funnels. The spouts were spaced about 1/3 nautical mile from each other. I asked the boat's captain if he thought cruising past the spouts would be dangerous, but apparently, he wasn't bothered much by their proximity.

Nevertheless, waterspouts can generate winds of over 70 mph (F0 on the enhanced Fujita Scale) and can be hazardous to boaters. Othoni Island is at left center. Photo taken on July 23, 1999.
http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2013/07/waterspouts-over-the-adriatic-sea.html

Woooooo!