Emma Watson is the new UN Goodwill Ambassador for Women. She gave a powerful speech about the “F-word” and women’s issues to launch the HeForShe campaign. The Daily Mail covered her hair. Leonardo DiCaprio is the UN Messenger of Peace. The Daily Mail did not mention his manbun or attire. Compare the coverage for yourself: Her brown locks were swept into a centre-parting and she kept her make-up understated and natural. Completing the look she added a metallic belt and conservative black pumps.   And then this: the passionate environmentalist and “the world body’s new voice for climate advocacy.”     Note: I might getRead More →

Well, we got our final Harry Potter books last night at midnight along with millions of other folks around the world. It is a depressing moment. The kid and I agreed we would read it out loud to each other at the beach this week when we go to Florida. After reading the first chapter to each other last night, I went to bed, and she stayed up all night reading. I don’t know yet if she finished the book; she’s still asleep, of course. But my guess is that Harry’s gonna die. The book opens with two very sad quotes about the necessity ofRead More →

Grades have been posted. Tomorrow we are leaving for Pass-a-Grille, Florida. We are staying at Inn On the Beach. It’s a delightful bed and breakfast with excellent management and reasonable rates. It’s across the street from the beach, so no fumbling with parking meters. I have a new bathing suit. I’m looking forward to reading Harry Potter on the beach.

My church has a Mother (or guardian)/Daughter Book Club that meets once a month to read books of interest to middle school girls. Last month, the kid and I attended the potluck that gets the book club off the ground. Everyone got to suggest one book, and since there were twelve of us (six mother/daughter pairs) we each got to recommend a selection.

The selections were quite amazing. Nearly all of them shared a common theme of

Harry Potter is all the rage, of course. Some people are happy about that and others aren’t. Crooked Dimwit is one of those who isn’t.

Annoyed and exhausted by the Harry Potter hype, Crooked Dimwit argues that the media overstates Harry’s preeminence at the box office. Because the rating system ignores inflation, HP rankings are actually exaggerated. When adjusted for inflation,