Rowling Address: Human Imagination

J.K. Rowling, British author of the 'Harry Potter' Books and previous Amnesty International worker, gave an address to Harvard Graduates last week.

Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.

Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard and read. …

Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people's minds, imagine themselves into other people's places.

Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.

And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know.

Well said, and then there's this

But how much more are you, Harvard graduates of 2008, likely to touch other people's lives? Your intelligence, your capacity for hard work, the education you have earned and received, give you unique status, and unique responsibilities. Even your nationality sets you apart. The great majority of you belong to the world's only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden.

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."

There are more thoughts at the link, well worth reading.

Tornado Pics

Sevens member Scott Elzey sends in these Tornado Pics from the storm on Friday

Big Cow

"Chilli" stands six foot six inches at the shoulder... click on the picture for more info.

Track Records

I ran across some Fort Wayne area track and field Sectional 7 State records and was surprised at the dates of some of the records... some of the records have been converted their Metric equivalents. It's not just that Matt Confer and Steve Arnold are still sectional record holders after more than 30 years, but it appears that 1975-1985 was a decade of fantastic track and field athletes. Not only have many of the records stood the test of time, but today's runners seldom even come close. Who knew we were living in a golden age...

Boys 100 Meter Dash
State: * 10.31 1981 Jerome Harrison, Jeffersonville
Sectional: ' 10.40 1985 Dick Cole, Whitko

Boys 200 Meter Dash
State: * 21.10 1982 Jeffrey Patrick, Gary Roosevelt
Sectional: ' 21.20 1975 Matt Confer, Norwell

Boys 400 Meter Dash
State: * 46.99 2002 David Neville, Merrillville
Sectional: ' 49.30 1976 Jim Rogers, Huntington North

Boys 800 Meter Run
State: * 1:50.20 1977 Tom Martin, Evansville Memorial
Sectional: ' 1:53.80 1977 Steve Arnold, Norwell

Boys 1600 Meter Run
State: * 4:04.20 1976 Rudy Chapa, Hammond
Sectional: ' 4:16.10 1980 Greg Osborn, Blackford

Boys 3200 Meter Run
State: * 8:55.10 1975 Rudy Chapa, Hammond
Sectional: ' 9:19.10 1979 Dave Painter, Heritage

Boys 110 Meter Hurdles
State: * 13.64 1976 Jerry Hill, Arsenal Technical
Sectional: ' 14.20 1985 Jay Hosler/Will Luzar, Huntington No/Homestead

Boys 300 Meter Hurdles
State: * 36.34 2005 Bryce Brown, Evansville Harrison
Sectional: ' 39.86 1999 Brad Buzzard, Huntington North

Boys 4x100 Meter Relay
State: * 41.02 1982 Gary Roosevelt, Gary Roosevelt D Young, J Patrick, G Moore, A Price
Sectional: ' 43.53 2007 Marion, Marion

Boys 4x400 Meter Relay
State: * 3:13.66 1980 Gary West, Gary West Side K Carter, C Peterson, W Monogan, S Burnett
Sectional: ' 3:21.90 1973 White's, White's

Boys 4x800 Meter Relay
State: * 7:41.56 6/3/2006 Indpls. Bishop Chatard, Chatard S Ball, C Dietrick, A Poore, T Leone
Sectional: ' 8:09.40 1998 Huntington North, Huntington

Boys High Jump
State: * 7-01.25 1977 Jeff Woodard, New Albany
Sectional: ' 6-11 1988 Mario Cardinali, Wabash

Boys Pole Vault
State: * 16-09 2001 Matt Campbell/Paul Gensic, White River Val./
Sectional: ' 15-00 2006 Zach Rosenberger, Columbia City

Boys Long Jump
State: * 24-07.75 1995 Frank Young, Kokomo
Sectional: ' 22-03.50 1949 Phil Musick, Rochester

Boys Shot Put
State: * 66-08.50 1997 Jeremy Allen, Pike
Sectional: ' 60-05.50 1990 Greg Hart, Homestead

Boys Discus Throw
State: * 217-01 1993 John Schulte, Hanover Central
Sectional: ' 211-10 1990 Greg Hart, Homestead

Northern Flicker

Senate Begins Debate

The Senate has opened debate on a Global Warming Bill

The measure’s sponsors say the nation must take immediate action to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions, but many senators in both parties see the legislation as an expensive long-term plan that would do little to solve today’s energy supply and price problems. In fact, the legislation is not expected to pass in the Senate this year.

The debate, which could last all week, will force senators to take a stand on some of the most difficult, expensive and potentially life-altering questions the world will face in coming decades.

My question? Why do the Global Warmers always focus their laws on preventing the CO2 from entering the atmosphere? The Warmers try to run energy companies out of business, they try to mandate cars and buses no one wants or can afford, they try to criminalize the standard of living they themselves have. Why don't they just pass laws that mandate the temperature they want and penalize the cities, or states (or countries) that exceed the required temperature? Wouldn't this avoid the whole argument about cause and singling out specific criminal industries?

What temperature should Congress mandate for Indiana?

I'd like the temperature in Indiana to be 70

Thought Police Take Down Bardot

Brigitte Bardot was convicted Tuesday of thinking bad thoughts about Muslims. She was fined $23,325 for racial hatred. Bardot, if you didn't know, is heavy into animal rights and complained about the Muslim feast of Aid el-Kebir which is celebrated by slaughtering sheep, saying the Muslims were ruining France.

Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Day 2

Day Two of the Human Rights Pseudo Trail against free speech in Canada

Solar powered Burro

Moses, the solar powered burro, takes a break at [Sevens member] Scott Elzey's place on 116.

Bellmont Closes Norwell's 2008 Season

Bellmont 6, Norwell 5.

Goodmiller, Otis, Kody Kumfer and Bill Denney played in their last game for Norwell.

"The four young men who are going to walk away have done a great job for us," said Weybright. "Ryne and Rhett have been stalwarts for us for four years. It's kind of an end there with that group that was put together last year.

"I think some of the lessons that they've taught the young kids — not just about baseball but about life and passion — will pay dividends down the road," added Weybright. "We're going to miss them and wish them the best of luck."

NOTE: The Braves will play Benton Central (15-14) on Tuesday in 3A regional action at Benton Central (Oxford) at 5:30 p.m. The raindate is Wednesday.

In keeping with Norwell's view that Valedictorians don't exist, the team consulted the rule book to see if one team is actually allowed to win.  In sports, apparently, teams are allowed to win and lose, not so in academics.

Southern Wells Valedictorian

Southern Wells announces their Valedictorian, Salutatorian

Three members of the Southern Wells High School Class of 2007 graduated Sunday with grade point averages of 4.0 or better, with the recognition of class valedictorian gong to Shawn Longenberger.

Salutatorian honors were bestowed upon Joshua Lavanchy, while Casey Carroll finished with the third-highest academic average.

And what is it that Norwell does anymore?  If I remember correctly, the words 'Valedictorian' and 'Salutatorian' are too difficult, the concept of someone achieving more than anyone else is too divisive for the eighteen-year-old Norwell students to handle.  Why they still give out trophies and ribbons to the athletes is beyond me.

Canadian Human Rights Tribunal

If you haven't been following the case, Mark Steyn is a Canadian journalist who rights for Macleans, which is a Canadian magazine. Mark Steyn's articles and books about the rise of Islamofascism (see "America Alone: the End of the World as We Know it," for example) as they appeared in articles in Macleans, has been submitted to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal as hate speech by some young Muslims in Canada. Other journalists and bloggers have been silenced in just this same way in Canada, but the Human Rights Tribunal has never gone after such a large magazine and such a famous journalist. It seems a lot of the complaints are not about Steyn's original writing, but rather his quoting what different Mullah's have stated in different countries. So this is an attempt to silence someone who is reporting on the Muslim world.

The Human Rights Tribunal, from what I understand, is not like a court -- the Tribunal is, if you will, above the law. It's purpose is to stop hate speech, stop people's feelings from being hurt, and the law makers and law keepers in Canada are duty-bound to follow the ruling of the Tribunal even though it is not a court.

Anyway, at long last, the hearing is underway.

Update:

3:26 PM
All of this, so far, is within their rights. They have a right to be offended by Steyn’s piece. They have a right to complain about it, to denounce it, argue against it, ridicule it, and so on. They also have a right to issue whatever outrageous demands to Maclean’s they like, just as Maclean’s has a right to give these the back of their hand. What they don’t, or shouldn’t have a right to do is what happened next: taking their case to the cops. Or rather not the cops, but multiple human rights tribunals.