Harry Potter and the Scottish Connection

 

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Did you know that Scotland was the setting for Harry Potter and his adventures?

 

Therefore, on the twentieth anniversary of the very first Harry Potter book – June 26, 2017 to be exact – it is fitting that our attention turns to this part of the UK, where the global publishing phenomenon began back in 1997.

 

That tome was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (later renamed Sorcerer's Stone for the US market) introduced a boy wizard and a magical cast of supporting characters.

 

[Note: Its first print run produced 1,000 copies – all now highly sought after by collectors – and earned the author a £1,500 (RM8,172) contract from Bloomsbury].

With that, penniless single mother JK Rowling (left) finally found success – after a series of rejections from publishers – and the book became the first installment of a seven-novel series that has sold 450 million copies worldwide and spawned eight blockbuster films.

 

In fact, this month Queen Elizabeth II made her “Companion of Honour”, a rare order which has a maximum of 65 members, for her contribution to the arts.

 

And the national tourist office VisitScotland has rightfully put together an itinerary covering the locations which inspired JK Rowling to pen her best-selling series.

 

Unsurprisingly, the trip begins in the Scottish capital. Its medieval architecture transports fans back to a time of witchcraft and wizardry.

There are two cafés on the itinerary: Elephant House (where JK Rowling spent hours writing the story of the bespectacled Boy who Lived, looking up from time to time to contemplate Edinburgh Castle) and Spoon.

Elephant House, 21 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, UK 

 

The magical tour continues by car or train in the direction of Fort William. On the way, you’ll see Rannoch Moor, a vast wilderness where the Death Eaters board the train in the film Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

 

This is also an opportunity to visit Glasgow, where Gothic-style buildings are similar to Hogwarts School.

The part of the trip by train will remind fans of the scenes on board the Hogwarts Express. AFP pic

One of the highlights of the trip is the Jacobite Steam Train which brings the magic atmosphere of the series to life. Starting in Fort William and ending in Mallaig, fans will relive scenes from the films on the Hogwarts Express.

The train crosses the Scottish countryside on the West Highland Line.

The trip ends on the fourth day in the Highlands where VisitScotland recommends visiting Steall Falls, a beautiful cascading waterfall featured in The Goblet of Fire.

Kindly check out the detailed itinerary at: www.visitscotland.com.

A Suicide Crisis in Canada

Suicide is a phenomenon that is becoming rampant. Worldwide.

In Canada, an aboriginal community declared a state of emergency following the suicide of three teenage girls.

Chief Brennan Sainnawap of the remote Wapekeka First Nation in northern Ontario made the declaration last week.

On June 13, Jenera Roundsky, 12, became the latest child to die as part of a suicide pact. She had reportedly texted a friend to say goodbye.

In January 2017, two 12-year-olds, Chantell Fox and Jolynn Winter, killed themselves.

The community says almost 40 youths are considered to be at risk in a town of about 400 people.

Last year, Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario declared a state of emergency after 11 people tried to take their own lives in a single day. And according to reports, there were more than 100 attempts since September 2015.

And even as tribal leaders asked Health Canada for funds to establish a youth suicide prevention program – even meeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – the money that did come through were severely inadequate.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represent 49 First Nation communities within northern Ontario including Wapekeka and Attawapiskat, had informed of 17 suicides across the region between January 2016 and January 2017.

Governments must take suicide seriously. Very seriously.
 
Please stop being in denial and do something to help these teens. 

The 600-km Journey

The plains zebra, also known as the common zebra or Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga). Image credit: http://www.wildwhispersafrica.com/rwanda/akagera-national-park/

A news story coming out of Africa reported that hundreds to thousands of animals will begin their journey from the Sango Ranch in the Save Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe to the Zinave National Park in Mozambique – in what is said to be one of the largest mass-movement of animals in the continent to date.

These safari stalwarts will travel 600km (or 370 miles) in an effort to help replenish animal numbers that were devastated during Mozambique's bloody 15-year civil war.

All government approval has reportedly been passed, so the only part left now is the actual task of transferring the animals. The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority of Zimbabwe note that the first batch of animals to be involved include 50 elephants, 50 kudu, 100 giraffes, 200 zebras, 200 buffaloes, 300 wildebeests and 900 impala.

These aren’t the only animals being transferred; thousands more are expected to relocate within the next upcoming years.

PWMA spokesperson Simukai Nyasha said: “For us this relocation is the perfect example how conservation in Africa works”.

Zimbabwe wildlife parks have been relocating animals for years. Although it’s not always in an attempt to replenish an animal species in a given area, it’s sometimes to humanely rid the regions of over-populations of various animals.

The World Taekwondo Federation has changed its name to World Taekwondo after becoming uncomfortable with the “What The Fuck" association.

The name World Taekwondo Federation had been with them since 1973, but they had contemplated a change since the slang abbreviation ‘WTF’ gained currency on social media.

“In the digital age, the acronym of our federation has developed negative connotations unrelated to our organization and so it was important that we rebranded to better engage with our fans,” World Taekwondo president Chungwon Choue said.

World Taekwondo, that's it. No more, WTF!

Selamat Hari Raya Semua!

This Hari Raya greeting card was created by Chrristine Ngiam. Thank you!

Selamat Hari Raya semua!

Setahun hanya sekali, meraihkan hari yang mulia ini!

Wonder Women: Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot. Image credit: Charbonneau/REX/Shutterstock

Wonder Woman” surpassed the $600 million mark worldwide Wednesday. Actually, tickets sales added up to $601.6 million, consisting of $289.2 million domestic and $312.4 million overseas.

And the superhero epic set a new milestone on Friday when it became the highest-grossing live-action film to be directed by a woman.

This means that the adventure blockbuster had eclipsed the $609.8 million racked up by “Mamma Mia!” the Abba musical that was directed by Phyllida Lloyd.

Comic fans loved “Wonder Woman”, praising it as a breath of fresh air after a series of downbeat comic book films such as “Suicide Squad” and “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”.

“Wonder Woman is set to be one of 2017’s biggest hits, a huge profitable success beyond the studio's expectations, acclaimed by both critics and audiences, and the biggest Warner DC Universe film that doesn't include Batman!

And Wonder Woman 2 is already a virtual lock.

A Bashful Swiss Village

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A Swiss community has introduced a bylaw banning tourists from taking selfies, Instagram pics and photos in general in a brash marketing ploy that claims the ban is for everyone’s own good. This was announced on May 30, 2017 by the local tourist office.

 

The scenic village of Berguen/Bravuogn, which has a German/Romansh double name – is located about an hour away from St Moritz, the well-publicized alpine resort – visitors who dare to pull out their camera or smartphone to snap photos of the quaint alpine village, mountain peaks and verdant valley floor, face fines of CHF5 (RM22), for violating the new law.

 

It is common knowledge that social media can stir feelings of jealousy, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and depression among users, officials say, particularly when scrolling through photos of stunning travel destinations – much like their quaint Swiss village.

 

“The municipality of Berguen/Bravuogn is beautiful. We don’t want to make the people outside of the community seeing photos of our picturesque landscape divided over social media and be unhappy, and so we invite them to visit and experience Berguen themselves”, said Peter Nicolay, the No. 1 man in a statement.

 

In addition to scrubbing their own social media accounts of photos that shamelessly showcase the village in all its natural beauty, the local residents came together and made a plea to NASA on Facebook, asking the space agency to delete or blur satellite photos that inadvertently – and unavoidably – capture its pictorial charm.

 

“Dear NASA, we are a small municipality in Graubuenden, Switzerland”, Nicolay said in a video message.

 

“We have discovered that pictures of our beautiful village are being shared on social media making other people unhappy because they cannot be here.

 

That’s why we have officially forbidden photography here, because we want everyone to be happy”.

 

Bergün/Bravuogn has some 700 inhabitants. The 67 kilometer Albula Railway which crosses the village has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008.

Gal Gadot's Itsy-bitsy Income

Oh, the Gal Gadot-starring/Patty Jenkins-directed action spectacular had on June 16, 2017 already earned $517 million worldwide.

There’s no doubt Wonder Woman is the feminist superhero movie the world didn’t know it needed.

So, why did Wonder Woman herself only earn $300,000?

Compared to how much the film has made, it's an itsy-bitsy drop in the vast ocean.

While Gadot's pay cheque is reportedly on par with what Chris Evans took home for his first appearance in Captain America, it's also considerably less than many of our other favorite comic book characters when they too were making their start in their respective franchises.

Henry Cavill (Superman, Man of Steel), Christian Bale (Batman, Batman Begins) and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) all reportedly earned between $9-40 million for their superhero performances.

Sure, Gadot was an unknown quantity. But can we please have more faith in the power of strong and authentic female characters, and the professional actors who bring them to life?

Yes, $300,000 is very much humongous by my standards – of course lah, I am almost destitute! – but really, she deserved more. Lots more.

I was at the Gamuda Toastmasters meeting today in Damansara Perdana, PJ where I was offered a speaking slot. I was advised just a day before.

Nonetheless, I delivered a CC#3 titled “You Will Never Know”.  And I was the sole speaker.

And yes, it was a good meeting!

Wonder Woman Anecdotes

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Wonder Woman has been smashing the box office in true Diana Prince fashion, and director Patty Jenkins posted about how it's positively affecting young children.  

On June 12, 2017, on Twitter, Jenkins (left) shared a note her producer sent her about how a group of kindergarten students reacted to the superhero film within a week of its release.

The note detailed a catalog of anecdotes from both female and male students who enjoyed the blockbuster.

The note says the author works at a kindergarten. Since the writer has not come forward publicly yet, the stories are not verified.

Still, they do go a long way in illustrating how important it is for children to see strong, intelligent, powerful women lead films, particularly in the superhero universe so often dominated by men.

Here's that listing:

On Monday, a boy who was obsessed with Iron Man, told me he had asked his parents for a new Wonder Woman lunchbox.

A little girl said "When I grow up I want to speak hundreds of languages like Diana".

This girl had her parents revamp her Beauty and the Beast birthday party in THREE DAYS because she simply had to have a Wonder Woman party.

Seven girls playing together during recess on Tuesday, saying that since they all wanted to be Wonder Woman they had agreed to be Amazons and not fight but work together to defeat evil.

There is this one girl that refuses to listen to you unless you address her as Wonder Woman.

Another girl very seriously asked the teacher if she could ditch her uniform for the Wonder Woman armor bc she 'wanted to be ready if she needed to save the world.' The teacher laughed and said it was okay, and the next day the girl came dressed as Wonder Woman and not a single kid batted an eye.

They are making a wrap-up dance show, and they asked the teacher if they could come as superheroes, they are going to sing a song about bunnies.

This kid got angry and threw a plastic car over his head and a girl gasped 'LIKE IN THE MOVIE'.

A boy threw his candy wrapping in the floor and a 5-year-old girl screamed 'DON'T POLLUTE YOU IDIOT, THAT IS WHY THERE ARE NO MEN IN T[H]EMYSCIRA'.

On Wednesday, a girl came with a printed list of every single female superhero and her powers, to avoid any trouble when deciding roles at recess.

I was talking to one of the girls that hadn't seen the movie, and the next day she came and very seriously told me "you were right, Wonder Woman was way better than Frozen".

"ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! This makes every hard day worth it", wrote Jenkins. "Thank you to whomever wrote it!!"

Jenkins is so right!

Wonder Woman: The Movie

Wonder Woman was a cinematic experience that is just amazing! The box office receipts provide additional ample proof. If you don't believe me, that is.

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I certainly enjoyed the movie. Still, I won’t have a write-up about this film because I didn’t have that intention when I stepped into the cinema.

I only wanted to revel in the epic blockbuster. And I loved it. Immensely.

There are only two words to describe Wonder Woman. Epic awesomeness! And I’m referring to both the actor and the movie.

There’s no doubt about it – Gal Gadot is every inch the movie star.

Wonder Woman Wows Audiences Except

Image credit: http://screenrant.com/wonder-woman-movie-posters-gal-gadot/

“Wonder Woman” starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot, is wowing audiences everywhere and shattering box office records in the US of A and elsewhere.

But the film isn’t getting as warm a reception from some countries due to Gadot’s Israeli heritage. Lebanon was not the only country to ban the film last week.

Wonder Woman had been dumped from the Nuits du Cinéma film festival in Algeria.

Jordan banned a screening of Wonder Woman, warning domestic theaters not to show the film until and unless an official government decision is made to permit its screening.

And according to The Jerusalem Post, the Tunisian Association of Young Lawyers had filed a lawsuit, labeling Gadot a “champion Zionist". The suit reportedly led to the suspension of the summer blockbuster, which was set to hit theaters on Thursday.

While these countries referenced the reasoning being that Gadot is from Israel, they haven't been successful in banning any of her past films, including "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "The Fast and Furious" franchise.

Movies that starred Israeli-born actress Natalie Portman also have had no problem screening in Arab nations, according to The Atlantic.

The 1959 original version of "Ben-Hur" was banned by all Arab League states because lead actress Haya Harareet was an Israeli. "Exodus" (1960) was banned in Syria and Egypt, along with all of Paul Newman's other films, because of the actor's support of Zionism and Israel. Jordan banned the films of Danny Kaye and Elizabeth Taylor in the 1950s and early 1960s because Kaye contributed money to Zionism and Taylor was labeled a "Zionist agent" – the same term similarly used to describe Gadot.

[Note: Zionism is defined as a Jewish nationalist movement, which goal is to form a Jewish National state in the ancient homeland of the Jews, Palestine].

These countries won’t know what they’re missing. Oh well, we will just keep Gal Gadot to ourselves.

The $150 million-budgeted superhero epic earned $205 million in the US and its overseas cume amounted to $230.2 million – that’s $435.2 million worldwide in just under two weeks of play. So yeah, it's officially a super hit!

Reuters pic

The annual Pride Parade was replaced with a Resist March as tens of thousands of people marched in Washington, Los Angeles and other US cities yesterday for LGBT rights.

Many of those attending said they felt their community was under threat from the Donald Trump administration.

They should know they're not the only ones.

The Slaughter of Muslims

Ice cream parlor bomb blast in Baghdad on May 30, 2017. Twitter pix

Kabul devastation on May 31, 2017. Reuters photo

How many Muslims do Islamic State, al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the other crazies need to kill before we realize that just maybe Islam isn’t the problem?

On May 30, 2017, an IS suicide bomber blew himself up outside of the Al-Faqma ice cream parlor on Karrada street in Baghdad, Iraq killing at least 13 people and wounding 24 others.

On May 31, in Afghanistan, a massive truck bomb blast ripped through Kabul's diplomatic district killing at least 90 people and wounding more than 400.

On June 03, three explosions went off at a funeral service in Kabul (again), killing at least seven mourners and injuring dozens.

On June 06, a suspected bomb outside a historic mosque in the Afghan city of Herat killed at least seven people and injured 15. Authorities believed explosives hidden in a motorcycle left in a parking area outside the Jama Masjid, a blue-tiled mosque dating from the twelfth century.

On June 07, the Parliament building and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, father of the 1979 revolution, whose shrine is a magnet for visitors – in Tehran, Iran – came under attack by armed assailants, including some disguised as women. At least 12 people were killed and 46 were injured.

On the same day too, Boko Haram staged deadly attacks in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, targeting mosques where Muslim worshippers were praying. Fourteen people perished and 24 others injured.

I don’t believe the rest of the world really gives a damn about these murderous rampages. We have become indifferent, unfeeling and uncaring. And sadly, I don't believe we put any value on Muslims' lives.

No “1 Heart Baghdad” captions, no #JesuisKabul hashtags, no one minute silence to pay tribute to the Herat victims, no One Love Tehran concerts, and no roadside memorials for the Maiduguri fatalities.

And yet, the said atrocities were just as bloody and devastating as the attacks in Manchester and London. In every single incident, innocents died.

There's a difference though.

The above-mentioned dead and wounded almost always belong to the same religion the killers claim to represent. Those Muslims bore the brunt of the bloody brutality inflicted upon them by fellow Muslims or in truth, butchers using the cloak of Islam to hide their homicidal intent. 

It is a sad irony that the Muslims represent the biggest number of victims of terrorism and yet the religion is blamed for it.

A US National Counterterrorism Center report found: “In cases where the religious affiliation of terrorism casualties could be determined, Muslims suffered between 82 and 97 percent of fatalities over the past five years”. 

It also stated that Muslims are seven times more likely than non-Muslims to be the victims of terror.

According to the Global Terrorism Index, the countries’ most affected by mass violence had Muslim majority populations with Iraq having suffered the most followed by Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria.

When there is carnage because of terror attacks, don’t be quick to point fingers. It’s okay to blame the perpetrators, but spare the religion.

Unless of course, we choose to agree with Guy Harrison: "... religions, even the seemingly benign versions that warm so many souls around the world, are responsible for producing hell on Earth for far too many people. Despite all the chatter about love, religion encourages and supports evil. It always has. It always will" ["The day religion died", Free Inquiry magazine, Vol. 23, #4, @

http://www.secularhumanism.org/].

SNP's Hollow Victory

The United Kingdom general election of 2017 took place on June 08, 2017. And I’m particularly interested in how Scotland fared.

 

The Scottish National Party say they emerged victorious this election. Of course, that’s the official line. They probably said it and singing the blues at the same time.

 

They are not wrong because they did win the largest number of seats in Scotland – more than all the other parties added together. That, they say, has always been the definition of victory.

 

But we cannot deny that the SNP were clobbered. Sure, they had made stunning gains in 2015 but this time around, Nicola Sturgeon's party lost 21 seats to see their numbers slashed to only 35 MPs.

 

They did lose plenty in the election. Some of their best known and most effective MPs such as Alex Salmond and Angus Robertson. As well as their political impetus.

 

It's almost impossible for the party to now argue that the people of Scotland want another Scottish referendum when 60% of the electorate voted for parties which have vowed to block another vote on independence.  

Nicola Sturgeon (left) had said that she and SNP would now need to reflect on what this result means for indyref2. But honestly, you don't have to think very long or very hard to realize it now looks unlikely to happen.

 

The Tories had returned 13 MPs in their best result since 1983.

 

The Conservative Party’s success in Scotland is in stark contrast to the situation south of the border, with Theresa May losing her majority and the election resulting in a hung parliament.

 

I was kinda sad too but it is important that the SNP don’t go about making rash decisions. It is just a blimp in the long and winding road to Scottish independence.

 

I'm certain we’ll come back stronger.

 

On Friday, I was at Menara LGB in TTDI, Kuala Lumpur to attend The Lectern KL Toastmasters meeting. Sixteen of us were there at the Souled Out venue and I was even voted Best Speech Evaluator.