Shut Up About The Ending!!

For the next week or so we can all expect to hear a lot about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; the final book in the JK Rowling series. Thousands of people are already waiting outside their local bookstores for the clock to strike 12:01am so that they too can receive their copies of Hallows. There are many news stories out there about people who received the book just a few days early.

One woman in Chicago received a package that said "Do Not Open Until July 21." Obviously, not obeying the note her children opened the package and finished the book while a distraught mailman came to her house twice to try and take the book back. He did this but not before one of her children finished the book. Of course, the article ends with a statement from one of the children that she would not give away the ending of the book.

That statement seems to be what all of the news media is talking about. Who is going to leak the ending of this book. Who and why would anyone do that?? It's bad enough people spoil the endings of movies, but this is the most anticipated book of our generation, and no one has the right to take that away from these fans.

I talked to a few people and asked them how long they thought it would be before the ending of this book was all over the Internet. One friend said to me "12:15 a.m." and he's probably right. It's a sad truth. The news media is not helping by trying to get the ending out of a child that's giving an interview either. It's a retarded question to ask a child. Yes, I am calling certain reporters retarded.

Other news organizations are taking things a bit far. I will not say the name of the news organization but they wrote a piece about how children are going to cope with the loss of the "Potter" series, even going as far as talking to a child psychiatrist. I think this is the most benign article ever put together by a news media. Yes, children will be sad that the series is over, and they may have to deal with the loss of their favorite character.

The article goes on to say, "Keep in mind most kids under six don't understand that death is permanent." How about doing a story on how many six-year-olds might actually read this book? Or, if a six-year-old genius child has read all of the other books already, and is ready to read this final installment? That, frankly, is a much more interesting story than how they will understand the death of a character. This is fiction, and if it causes some sort of psychological damage to their characters later in life, well they probably believe they will go to college at Hogwarts anyway.

Just Gimme Some Truth!

Reuters, an American news organization, took a poll that suggested 40 percent of Americans would change their driving habits if gas were to rise over $3.50. Since the gas prices have gone up almost all Americans have been effected in some way. We have been dealing with rising gas since President Bush took office in 2001 when gas prices were $1.31, but that's not even what makes me mad. It doesn't even make me that angry that an average gas price in 1980 was $1.25, a difference of 6 cents in 21 years.

No, what makes me mad is that we were told we were going to fight a war in Iraq to help bring democracy in Iraq. Then the American public decided that this was a war over oil and people were outraged when Haliburton owned the contracts to the Iraqi oil fields, as was I. I was outraged we were fighting a war to own the oil. So, we went to war in march of 2003 and the gas prices went up to $1.72 and by the next summer it was up to $2.27. Now this year we are stuck in the $3 range with no relief in sight.

The government tells us it is about supply and demand, that we do not have the oil supply to fit the demand. Then they tell us that our oil refineries are not running at full capacity, but there is no way that there is a $2 difference of supply and demand between 2001 and 2007. Where did all this oil go? Did the H2 actually suck up all our gas?

At this point I say that the American people are being had. We're in a war for nothing. What do we get out of this deal? Christ, at this point just tell me it's a war about the oil!!!

ALL YOU NEED IS "LOVE"

It's been a while since I've actually written a blog entry and for all three people who probably read this blog, my apologies. I happened to be in Las Vegas for the beginning of the month where I was able to see the Beatles Cirque Du Soleil show "Love." I have been waiting for a year to see a performance of this show and I must say it was definitely worth the wait.

My God, I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life as the show "Love." The audience is completely engulfed by the Fab Four's phenomenal music, but the experience of the show itself is purely breathtaking. Every moment that I sat in the audience I knew that I was coming that much closer to the end of the show and if there is a heaven it will look something like what I saw that night.

The Mirage theater was constructed for this show, each seat complete with its own surround sound in the headrest as well as the back of each seat. There is not a bad seat in the house, for the theater is in the round. Clips of the show can be found on YouTube, so I do not have to rack my brain as to how to describe the extraordinary things that I saw.




"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," was one of the most extraordinary moments of the show, as well as the beauty portrayed in the interpretation of "Something." During "Tomorrow Never Knows/Within You Without You," a bed with children sitting atop rises through the air while bed sheets stream out the sides and roll over the entire audience in a wave of white chaos.

I cannot wait for this show to tour so I one day have a chance to see it again.