Me neither about Harry Potter. My brother actually gave me a copy one year as my Christmas present when it first came out. He was so proud of the wonderful gift he had graced me with. I tried reading it. I really did. Got bored to tears and stopped apparently "just as it gets really, really good," as five exasperated siblings informed me.

Rule of thumb when I read a book, if I'm not "into" it by page 40...

Rule of genetics, I'm also the only one of the six of us who cannot roll my tongue.



That ain't me!

LOL-I have really enjoyed the Harry Potter books! I didn't read it for a long while when it first came out, but my sister and brother really liked it so I started and to my surprise, I enjoyed it. The Lord of the Rings is my favorite book of all time and at first, I felt like HP was a rip-off of that.
I don't have the same feeling about HP that I do LOTR. I can't get into the world the same way I guess, but they are fun to read!

Ok I need some help from our fellow board members that are from new york .

I'm writting a new story and I need a street name help me .lol

You mean like Madison Avenue, Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Delancy Street, Flatbush Ave, Jamaica Ave?

Like that? Streets in New York have certain connotations. For example, Fifth Avenue means $$$, Jamaica Ave (Queens) means low income, crime. Delancey Street is ethnic .

Yah thank you

For all the Harry Potter fans.....would you like to get sorted by The Sorting Hat?

The Sorting Hat.Com

I am in Gryffindor! (My Mom is in Ravenclaw! )
Mari

I'll be keeping Mari's mom company in Ravenclaw

Do you play the harp Elfharpist?
My two girls just started learning the small celtic harp,not the large concert one. There is a harp revival going on in gaelic speaking countries at the moment,and the Irish Harp Centre near us has an all harp orchestra with all sizes of harp and all ages learning. Beautiful sound,eh?

Woooo Hoooooooo

Hey mari i'm in Gryffindor too

Whoo Hoo! Congratulations to The Queen of the Broken Hearts, you smartypants! You and my Mum can do all the potions and charms!
My homegirl NS, whoop whoop! You can I can take on transfiguration and magical creatures!
Mari

PS I am up to Chapter Eleven of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it's great, crying already....bye for now!

I've just finished Deathly Hallows. oh my WORD!!!! It's the best of the lot. I seriously did not believe that I could enjoy it more than Goblet of Fire.

I have never read a single Harry Potter novel. Is it necessary to start with the first book? Or can someone read Deathly Hallows & enjoy it as a stand alone?

Do any of you watch either the Shield or Rescue Me? I love them both.

The Shield is etremely dark, and must give Los Angeles's PR and tourism people migraines!
I find it amusing that Michael Chiklas's previous role was as the COMMISH, a total 180 degree different from Vic Mackey! Wathing the show you are fully aware that Mackey and crew deserve to get caught and go to prison. In the same breath you are trying to figure ahead and see if there is a way for them to get away with it! That is what is brilliant about it, the audience wants to root for the baddest of bad guys.

Rescue Me is in a whole catagory of it's own! Dennis Leary is phenominal! I want VDO to at least be nominated(and of course win), but Leary has earned it, whether he wins or not. Portraying the inner workings of the guys at a firehouse is difficult to get right. Then writing episodes full of action, and humor, pain and simple joys has to be difficult as well.

She does explain the salient points of things that happened earlier DonnaLucy. I just feel in my opinion that you should start from the beginning or you wouldn't be invested in what happened to the characters. Rather like watching Endgame as the first L&O:CI you'd ever seen, it wouldn't mean much beyond the murder mystery to you. I have to say that from my point of view it would be time well spent!
Mari

PS: Stayed up all night and finished it at 4am! Loved it and sobbed for ages....I thought I would! I'll miss them all, and my faith wasn't misplaced.

I have a ? for the Mod squad! Why were certain members authorized to vote on the Dedication topic, and others were not?

Hi KR,


I have no idea what you're talking about. Any member of this board can vote in any poll that's up and that they want to vote in. The only member voting restriction is that a member can only vote once in a poll. Once a member has voted in a poll they cannot vote again.

PeachyBC

Are as members, able to vote out another topic if we think it doesn't apply to LOCI?

ab,
I don't watch The Shield but loved Chiklis as Curly in the Three Stooges TV biopic. Curly was such a sad character in real life and he was so good. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

I started watching Rescue Me last year and am saving my pennies to get Seasons 1 & 2 on dvd. Denis (yes, that's how he spells it and I've never heard him pronounce it but I think it rhymes with Menace) Leary is a revelation. I just thought of him as an angry comedian until I saw this show, but he is an actor who does comedy, not the other way around. And to think he created the show too is just amazing. I actually thought I was watching Backdraft the first time I saw it but I know that movie by heart and didn't remember Leary so I kept watching. I love those characters. They are so real and at the same time out of this world. I taped Wednesdays show and haven't see it yet so don't tell me anything. Did you watch the first 2 seasons and if so, are they worth buying the dvd's?

Yep, me too. Cried like anything - and not only cos of the sad scenes!! Didn't you just love the ending! My very favourite book of the series. I wish I could get my memory modified so I could read them all again anew.

DonnaJo, I agree with Mari - start with the Philosopher's Stone and work your way thru the 7 novels. If you read Book 7 and you love it, you'll be so sorry you didn't start at the beginning.

Yes, absolutely worth it! If you think they are messed up from where you started, when you see the others you'll understand a small portion where the craziness comes from. The first two seasons especially does a wonderful job expressing the emotional torment the aftermath of Spet. 11th still has over the emergency responders of that day. He earned that nomination, and especially if VDO isn't in the running I want him to win. No offense to Mr. Chiklis, he is wonderful in his role as well.

Go onto ebay first, you can save alot of money buying off of there. Thankfully FX seems to understand and appreciate his brilliance.

Do you know that he has a foundation in which he supports fire companies around the country? The foundation helps low funded companies purchase apparatus and other vital safety equipment. He started it because his cousin was a FF and was killed in Worcher(sorry if I screwed up the spelling) Mass. fire at a cold storage facility, a total of 6 FF died that day.

That fire was horrible. there were reports that there were 2 homeless people who were squatting there still in the building. The fire was started by a candle that they lit. they were out before the FD even got there. It was so sad. Leary has done so much for the FF. I don't know all they do to raise money but I know he is also a hockey fan so they have celebrity hockey tourneys.

On the lighter side, he and Lenny Clark together doing an interview-Hilarious! They show up in the broadcast booth at Fenway Park-seems like at least once a year. They are just so funny. They have the two guys (Gerry Remy and Don Orsillo) who call the Red sox games for the local sports station in tears because they are laughing so hard. It is very entertaining.

And ab, just in case you you are curious about the spelling of the city, it is Worcester. We pronounce it kind of like Woostah Double O sound as in wood. (I know-- who cares ? )

I can't watch "Rescue Me". I know it is a great show and that's probably why I can't watch. It is too upsetting for me. I always seem to catch episodes like the one in which his son was killed.

No that's great thanks! I would have slaughtered that pronoucation! LOL!! Yes, I read about the fire and all the details, a FF curiousity. That type of thing happens everyday especially in the larger cities. Fortunately FF aren't always hurt. You have to search the building every time unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one is inside. I would rather be hurt or die knowing I did everything I could, than to play it safe and know I could have done more.

ab,
Thanks for the info. I knew it was someone in his family but I thought it was someone who died in 9/11. I still have problems watching stories about 9/11; that's probably why I didn't watch it when it started. You can see by my screen name that I'm not into reality, but Rescue Me is so well written that I will begin reliving the day with Denis Leary's show. I found Season 1 at a branch of our local library and I'm gonna pick it up tomorrow. If I can't find Season 2 at a library, I'll go into ebay.

I don't follow award shows very closely. I mostly watch the red carpets and the fashion police shows after the awards. The only awards show I stay up for now is the Tonys and that's to see the live performances from the nominated shows. I wish they would tape the final performances of Broadway shows and sell them. I remember they did that with James Whitmore's one man show, Give 'Em ****, Harry (about Harry Truman) when I was in high school but I've never seen them do it since. I still may get on Jet Blue to see Vanessa Redgrave before it closes in August. I haven't done anything crazy in six months, so I'm overdue. Middle-aged crazy signing off.

Wow;lots of Potter fans!
I took my girls to the village where they film alot of it,Lacock. Its in the area that got horrendous flooding last weekend,so i hope it didnt go under water! its the same village that was used in the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice.Some of these villages are under contract and when the film people come in the villagers are housed elsewhere. they give up their homes for the duration of the shoot. That happens to Hambledon in Berkshire where the cottages are mostly rented . that village is used alot in Midsummer Murder series,and also i think for Bridget Jones 2.

I have pictures of my two sitting in the quad of Lacock abbey,which is filmed in the school sequences. The village is well worth a visit if anyone tours close to Bristol.

Sounds like just the sort of thing my son would enjoy. He's a HUGE Potter fan (as am I) as well as a Dr Who fan. We've taken the boys to Cardiff to the Dr WHo museum and they both got such a kick out of seeing the areas where they've done a lot of filming. But to show him Harry Potter film sites would be a real thrill to him. Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross doesn't quite look the same as in the film.
But you're right, with all the awful flooding, let's hope it's still there. We were supposed to go to Worcester for 2 days but we've had to cancel.

FYI for SVU fans, Christopher Meloni will be on Late Night with Conan O'Brian tonight @ 1235am.

The show can mirror what FF's see everyday. It can be very hard indeed, knowing you did everything you could and people still died. If you ever get used to it, you need to hang it up. Faith plays a huge role, you see Tommy Gavin struggle with that in the show. I would like to think that the guys I know aren't THAT screwed up! LOL!!

Snap with Doctor Who and the Cardiff museum, AstonMartin!Didnt you think it interesting to see the clips of each doctor undergoing transformation and how that reflected the technical expertise of each era from 1960's to 2007.

Curious how a programme so demonstratively part of BBC London is now made in BBC Cardiff and headed by a Welshman. It has breathed new life and depth into the series. Lets hope it keeps the programme clear of all the current scandal going on down south!

I hope they're not beating themselves up on an empty elevator. I almost choked when I was watching that scene where the guard is watching Denis beat himself up; what a great director they have too. Tommy does seem to be the most messed up of the FFs, but his personal life is the most mixed up too. I still haven't seen last Wednesdays and there's another one on tonight. I don't know where the days go.

Since I'm here on the OT thread and it's about a firefighter, we had an article in our local paper about a volunteer fire fighter who had just gotten the NYS Law & Order award. Of course Law & Order popped out on the page and right next to it is a very handsome, Italian American with curly grey hair and the cutest little pug nose and in my mind I'm writing a script for Vincent to play Jim Bucci, Jr.. He's 45 years old, married with 3 kids and has a towing company and is a volunteer FF for two small towns, Rush and Honeoye and is up for a national award. He also got an award from the Sheriff for helping with a homicide investigation! A hunky hero right in my own back yard. Just thought it was interesting.

Russell Davis is just fantastic isn't he! You can see his enthusiasm from a mile away and it's infectious! I love Dr Who but I'm not a die hard fan as I have little interest in watching pre- Eccleston, purely beause of the FX that weren't available then. (we didn't have Dr Who where I grew up)

Hmm re the BBC scandal. I do hope that the children who won the chance to design a Dr Who alien or the chance to star on the show weren't part of it all (like the children of BBC staff or something!!!)

I'm gonna curse like a sailor. Dag nabbit! *didn't say what kind of sailor, might be Popeye*

Where did I get poison ivy from? I haven't done any poison ivyish work outside in over six days and I came down with the gosh darn-it itchiest spots day before yesterday.

Last time I got the stuff I knew I had come into contact with it and didn't remedy the situation quickly enough so, "Oh, dopey me!" and I guess I learned that lesson didn't I! So why those awful little blisters now? Am I sleep gardening in Marie's yard? Do I suffer somnambulant gardenitis?

After the fact advice I give other people:

• If you're allergic to poison ivy, wear gardening gloves, long sleeves and trousers when working near it.
• Too hot for long sleeves? You can buy some stuff called Ivy Block that you spray onto your skin that protects you against the oils that cause the dermititis. It forms a protective barrier on your skin. You can also buy bobo brand hairspray from the dollar store or other thrifty outlet and use that instead. Don't get a name brand with conditioners and emollients (love that word). The cheaper the stuff the better. Really shellac it on like your sealing a beehive updoo. Do this outside so the rest of the family doesn't get a contact buzz off the Aquanet.
• Too late? Touched the stuff by accident? Wash the effected area with cold water and soap. Don't use hot water when washing. Hot water opens the pores and allows the oils into the skin where you won't be able to wash them away. Depending on your level of allergic reaction, do this as soon as possible after touching poison ivy and no longer than 30 minutes after the fact.
• Put all of your gardening clothes into the washing machine and do the laundry immediately. Don't just put the sweaty, PI clothes into the hamper where you (or someone else) might forget you came into contact with the stuff when you're doing laundry a couple days later. The oils remain reactive for a long, long time in the cool moist climate of schwitzy clothing.
• Do not scratch!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Use calamine lotion, benadryl, anything with cortisone or other topical creams, sprays or lotions the doctor or pharmacist might suggest. Can't stop from scratching? That's why Bandaids come in really large sizes. You'll still feel the itch under it, but the lotion won't rub off on your clothes, the dog, your furniture, bedding... and if you can't reach it through the bandage, you can't damage your skin by scratching. However good that might feel.

Oh man My grandmother can't get near that stuff either but she reacts quiet worse than the scratching .
Lets just say consider yourself lucky that thats just itchy .
and your not in the hospital.

Take care of yourself hope that heals quick for you .HUGS

I can relate to the poison ivy thing as well as poison oak, poison sumac. Had a run in with poison oak as kid that put me in the hospital, where they proceeded to give me shots to control the allergic reaction. The shots turned out to be too much; I got seriously ill, my heart stopped for a bit...blah, blah. That freaked my mother and the intern right out! I wasn't having such a good time either! LOL But I ended up taking several years worth of those horrid shots (lesser dose) to develop an immunity to the entire poison plant family. They actually worked! I don't react to the stuff anymore. Woohoo!

Peachy

The Logan/Barek episode with the voodoo nurse is on and Logan's got poison ivy. Know what he's feeling!

My dad was immune to the poison ivy oil. Couldn't inherit THAT from him, huh?!

So far I've always been immune to the itchy stuff. If it makes you feel better any bug that bites, stings, sucks your bodily fluids, eats me! Ticks are no exception! I had Lyme Disease in 1993, got it at Creation. When I'm outside for more than 2 minutes I have welts from the bug bites.

Did you know whether it's bee stings, poison ivy,etc. you can be not allergic than one day you are? That's because within every 7 years every single cell in your body has renewed itself. When that occurs you could then be allergic to that substance.

Usually I managed to pick up poison ivy from other people, their jackets, the strap on the subway that they held before I did....urgh!
This is about nicer plants....our friends in the house, and how we sometimes make mistakes when looking after them. (I don't know about you, but it makes me miserable when I see one drooping and looking forlorn.) I run to help them, but I shouldn't have let it happen. With this invention, I wouldn't have that trouble, and my plants would be happier!
How would you feel if your plants called to tell you what they needed? In an accent.......
Your plants just called to say....I'm thirsty!
Mari
(Who is posting this for the second time in the hopes that this will not get eaten by the board... )

OnFern! You cnould get it started by giving away free year long memberships!

The only plant I have NEVER succeeded with is a Bonsai. I have killed three in my life. African Violets, no problem bloom constantly.

If you want to find super, awesome, and cute items I have the answer!! It's a company called Collections Etc. They have decorations, things to use in the house, holiday decore and much more. You can find some of their items are on ebay, and to get the catalog that has every item in it. ALL of their items are under 20 bucks, and it's good quality things! You can order a catalog at http://collectionsetc.com .

Mighty Mod Rowe sends her morning greetings to every one! She has also sent along an interesting news article about animal instincts.


Oscar the cat predicts patients' deaths

By RAY HENRY, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 25, 7:25 PM ET


"PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.

After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.

Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.

Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill

She was convinced of Oscar's talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn't eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near..."

Full article at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_fe_st/death_cat

Posted for Rowe by PeachyBC

That is the most amazing story. We still have so much to learn about so many things don't we!! It's incredible how good some animals are with people with special needs. Eg horse riding is particlularly good for children with Special Needs as is dolphin swimming. Both types of animals seem to have afinity for special children We don't know why but swimming with dolphins has been shown to be beneficial for children who have communication difficulties. We have a son with Down Syndrome and it's on our list of things to do when we become uber-millionaires.

Ooooh, just noticed I'm not a newbie anymore

Congratulations on the non-newbieness, AstonMartin.

I figured from your name you might already be an uber-millionaire.

Sigh - hope springs eternal. An Aston Martin is one of a few other things on my (very long) wish list

I have seen those documentaries as well. Animals are incredible, and more intellegent and compassionate than we will ever realize.

If any of you remember Elian Gonzalez, when he was lost at sea he told rescuers that dolphins would swim underneath him to keep him afloat.

Astonmartin,one of the most beautiful songs written by someone about the birth of their child with Down Syndrome,was by Phil Coulter,called Scorn not my Simplicity. it is recorded by Luke Kelly of The Dubliners. Check it out.its very special.

Is anyone out there also interested in Jump Skipping.? My girls have been doing it ever since they watched this film called "Jump in". Its great fun. i remember doing long rope skipping and French Elastic in the playground as a child,but this is even more exciting. You need two turners,a rope of eight foot length and alot of energy and skill to negotiate the two ropes turning at the same time.

Do you mean skipping rope? I guess that's what we call it down south! Loved it when my daughter was young, and myself too, a long time ago! Great excercise as well!!

Growing up in Queens, New York, we played alot of sidewalk games, which included both long & short rope skipping, French elastic (my favorite), hop scotch & stoop ball.

From what I've seen, double rope skipping is popular in the inner city ghettos. It's amazing how these kids do it, sometimes four jumpers at a time enter the ropes simultaneously. And the tricks!! Standing on their hands & heads for one thing. It makes what we did as kids insignificant. But we did that stuff strictly for fun; these young people enter tournaments & citywide competitions.

Ms. Flatpack, I posted you a response on your jump skipping. That would be my interpretation of being ignored.

Kathy, Flatpack didn't ignore you. I responded to her post, only because I wanted to share with her double skipping here in America, Flatpack is from Ireland. I dare say she's asleep right now, not posting to anyone. OK?

Thanks DonnaJo!! Appreciate your thoughtfulness!!

There's one thing I've learned, and that is never start a topic with a ?