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Everything posted by non-contradictor
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The first three were published in rather quick succession, and without much chance for planning elaborate parties. It also wasn't clear in the beginning how they would be received, and even if they were expected to be popular, no one, I think, would have predicted this. It's an interesting phenomenon, the popularity of the series.
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You write? I as well...hey it looks like you write fan fiction for HP I gathered from your site. Anything else? I'll come back to read them...that is after I finish the series...which won't be long from now!!
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Heh. I've only done it with OotP and HBP. The others I wasn't really familiar enough with the general fandom to know about the releases. And they only started with GoF anyway. Still, as this is the last one, I'd like to make it, um, last. My family's been toying with the idea of going to London in time with the release. We've wanted to go anyway, and I think it would be fun to see what the releases are like in the UK.
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I phrased that badly. What I meant was that you're not guaranteed a copy of the book unless you pre-order. I don't have much experience with attempting to get one without a pre-order. With OotP, I didn't have one, but I ended up getting the deluxe edition and those weren't in as high demand, so it didn't matter. At Borders, at least, you don't have to pay to pre-order, so there's really no reason not to do so, if you really want one at midnight. Also, I agree that release parties are a lot of fun. I went with my friends for HBP, and then we went home and ate chocholate frogs and drank cream soda (butterbeer!) while reading our books. Finished at 8 AM. Hehehe. Dunno if I'll do that with this one, though, as it's the last. Might be best not to read the ending in a sleep-deprived stupor.
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If you want it at midnight, I recommend pre-ordering from Borders. If they follow the same pattern as the last release, you technically can't get a book from Borders of Barnes+Noble unless you pre-order. If you call up a local store (if there's one near you) they should be able to reserve a copy for you. If you're not looking to get it right at midnight, just the day of, I recommend ordering through Amazon, or going to a walmart or grocery store. A 24-hour Walmart might be a good bet for getting one at midnight, too, but I don't know. I go to Borders. Hope that helps.
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Here's my take on it: He may have regretted their deaths, but that doesn't absolve him of the responsibility. It'd be one thing if he weren't an occlumens, and could have expected to be killed for not telling Voldemort of the prophecy. But he was, and he could have hidden the information, had he wanted to. He didn't, because he didn't object to Voldemort murdering innocent people on principle, he was only remorseful after they turned out to be people he knew and (arguably) cared about. (I think he probably admired/liked/respected Lily). Dumbledore, of course, forgives him for this failing. But in my opinion Dumbledore has a lot of residual guilt from what became of Tom Riddle. He knew Tom was going to be dangerous when he visited him at the orphanage, and never really trusted him. He now thinks that if he had tried harder, been more trusting, more forgiving, than maybe Tom would have come around. (Now, personally I think that's rubbish; Tom wouldn't have listened to Dumbledore anyway. But I digress...) Dumbledore had his second chance with Snape, who has had a similar background and similar failings. This time, he went the other direction and forgives. I doubt the question of whether Snape really deserved to be forgiven was a large factor in his choice. Certainly he is able to trust Snape to fight Voldemort; he ought to know from experience that Snape would not want to be Voldemort's slave forever. But there's a difference between trust and forgiveness. I think Snape has earned the first. Whether he will earn the second... Me, I won't be able to call him "hero" without serious reservations. Of course, bear in mind that this is all based on my preferred character interpretations, and Merlin knows (Heh.) that there are a plethora of others out there. Only JKR really knows the psychology of her characters at the moment. Harry didn't lose it. He never had one, since he didn't know he was going to be taking potions that year and didn't buy one. He did eventually order one by mail, but that was after he had Snape's, so he switched the covers on them. I don't know what he did with the new one, but I don't think it's especially important. With that in mind, I don't see how Snape could have known that Harry wouldn't have a book. Perhaps he overheard Harry telling McGonagall? On the other hand, it is pretty bizarre that Snape's old textbook just *happened* to be lying about in the Potions room. It was his former classroom, yes, but he doesn't strike me as the type of person to leave his personal effects where students could get to them. On another note entirely, it would be quite intriguing if Snape had the insight to know that Harry could learn from him in theory, just not in person. I'll have to read the book again if I want to pick this apart any further, though. I hadn't given this idea much thought. The Sectumsempra scene, in particular, should give some clues. Thanks very much. This is very interesting, because at the time, the only title rumor I read about was "Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch." It strikes me as odd that the other more intriguing titles wouldn't have gotten circulated more. There was also "Harry Potter and the Pillar of Storgé," but I have no idea where that came from.
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Could you please cite your source for this information? A large portion of the fandom thinks that there is a graveyard at Hogwarts based on a discussion Alphonso Cuaron had with JKR on the PoA set. Source: http://www.halfbloodprince.info/story/graveyard.cfm So what you're saying makes sense. Plus, the idea of a final battle on the Hogwarts grounds is somewhat dramatic. Heh. Do you have a quote for the first statement? (I'm not arguing with this, as I don't think Sirius will come back as a living person, but I don't remember her ever spelling it out as bluntly as she did for Dumbledore.)
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Nope, no date. If she follows her usual pattern, it won't be 7/7/07. With HBP we had the title for about a year, if I remember correctly. Not that I'm not hopeful for a summer release regardless... I'd kinda like to finish the series before I go to college. Heh.
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I highly doubt that we'd get a "heroic" view of Snape. Absolved, accepted even, but heroic? He's pragmatic, vindictive, and has most likely killed more people than just Dumbledore. Even if it was all on "orders," does it matter? Snape reminds me of the character in Mother Night. That's a problem I've been thinking about a lot. So what do you guys think? If someone is a spy and ends up having to do immoral things to remain a spy, is he a hero or a villian? In any case, I don't think Snape particularly cares which side is morally right, as long as he's still alive and able to brew potions as he pleases in the end. However, as we see everything from Harry's extrememly biased eyes, it's very hard to say. I'm not a huge fan either. It's too... blunt. All of the others were more neutral; we weren't sure what kind of book they would lead to. But Deathly Hallows? As my mother put it: "That doesn't sound good [for Harry]."
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The dreaded "Tell us about yourself (in 500 words or less) essay." It always looks so simple, and then you try to write it. Heh. This is the essay that took me the longest. Most schools have one in some form or another. First thing to address is whether you're getting too much help on your essay. I work in my school's writing center as a peer tutor, and this time of year we get a lot of people in for help on college essays. We draw the line at "editing" a tutee's paper ie, we can tell the tutee how to fix the paper, but we can't fix it for them. Essentially, they're the ones holding the pens and writing down notes. So, as long as you're just getting suggestions, and not having someone re-write your essay for you, I think you're fine. In the end, it's up to you whether you want to listen to us or not, and with all the self-help books on college essay writing out there, I don't think, as softwarenerd pointed out, that colleges have any delusions that their appicants aren't going to ask for some tips. Okay, next thing is don't be afraid to start over. I know you're probably tired of writing essays by now, but sometimes starting over takes a lot less time and energy than trying to force a good essay out of a topic that just doesn't work. You're writing about yourself. It shouldn't be that difficult. If you're having trouble getting across what you want to, it's probably the topic. For example, I spent three weeks writing/editing an essay with the same topic, only to show it to my mother, who told me, in no uncertain terms, that it was awful. After thinking about it a little more, I scrapped the entire essay, started over, and in two hours I had the essay that I ultimately submitted. It's not a general idea you want to give, though. They don't need to know everything you do in a day, but rather the specific things you do that are important to you. You don't have the space to write an autobiography, and they're not expecting you to. What they are looking for is: "What is it about Mimpy that will make her a good fit for my college?" What aspects of your personality make you a good fit for Georgetown? What made you decide to apply? Why do you think you would be happy there? You're essentially intorducing yourself. This essay is the ultimate chance to make a first impression that you get to think about first. What do you want the person to know? Your current essay is sort-of like intorducing yourself by telling someone to follow you around for a day. I hope that helps. If not, feel free to PM me.
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So we have an official title now. If you want to find it for yourself, go to jkrowling.com. Otherwise, the title of book 7 is...
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I hope you don't mind my jumping in here, but what?! As much as I hated the public high school I went to for my freshman year, AP classes there were completely voluntary. In fact, you had to get permission from the teacher to enroll in them. Sure, students under 16? (is that the age?) can't quit school, and that's a problem in itself, but as for specific classes. Some of them are mandatory, I give you that, but AP classes? No. Just because some classes are mandatory doesn't mean all of them are. Any school that has AP classes ought to have other options to choose from.
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I agree. I think that they were probably potions partners, or that Severus had an unrequited crush on Lily, or both. It would explain why Dumbledore trusted him; he always did believe in the power of love. Perhaps if Harry looked more like Lily and less like James' he'd have had an easier time. There's something important with Lily though, between her eyes that keep getting mentioned, her affinity for potions and charms, and the mystery surrounding what she (and James, for that matter) did after they left school.
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I'm still undecided on whether or not Harry is a horcrux. My biggest argument against it is that Dumbledore would have noticed, and I really don't want to add another strike against him right now. (I'll be angry if he knew and just didn't say anything.) But I digress... Snape's line is just one part of it. Yes, Voldemort wants to be the one to kill Harry, but why didn't Voldemort have his Death Eaters capture Harry? Wouldn't it have been just as easy to stun him and drag him away? Why didn't Voldemort attempt to kill Harry at all in book 6? It's a little odd to have a book where no one tries to kill Harry. I think it's far more likely that Voldemort is merely planning something sinister for book 7, but I'm playing Devil's advocate a bit here. In any case, we have one more thing that comes to a question of Snape's loyalties. If he's really evil, then he's either stupid (and didn't realize that he could just kidnap Harry), or he was under orders to not only not kill Harry, but to leave him alone. If he's good (or at least not a true Death Eater "The world is not split into good people and Death Eaters...") then he was probably under orders not to kill Harry and merely took it a bit farther by protecting him from the other Death Eaters. I really would like to read that passage again before I go into this any farther, because the context is important, as is Snape's exact wording. Anyone happen to have a copy handy?
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Tobias Snape = Severus's father. Snape's mother was Eileen Prince. We hear something like that at the end of the chapter called "Flight of the Prince." Snape tells the other Death Eaters to leave Harry alone because of "orders," which I take to mean Voldemort has ordered them not to kill Harry. I'd give the exact quote, but I don't have my book at school.
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I've read that interview. The direct quote is: Source: http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2006/0...tyreading2.html (italics and bold mine) So, their "opinion" is that everything follows from Snape's loyalties, which isn't all that revolutionary a statement. There's a lot hinging on Snape's loyalties, from the night in Godric's Hollow onward. We don't know enough about that generation. Also something to think about regarding Snape: Dumbledore explained to Fudge in book 5 that as long as someone is against Voldemort, they are on his side. Snape doesn't necessarily have to be loyal to the Order for Dumbledore to trust that he is "on their side." He was never very explicit about that, and while I'm still unsure about Snape's motives, I don't think he's Riddle's lackey. He's seen too much bullying in his life to voluntarily let one take over the world. Riddle is like James, Sirius, and Tobias rolled into one package and intensified a hundred times over. Why would he follow him? As the theory goes, Riddle didn't know that Harry was a Horcrux until he possessed him at the Ministry in book 5. That's why he told the Death Eater's to leave him alone in book 6. Take that for what you will.
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My Son and College
non-contradictor replied to RationalBiker's topic in School, College and Child development
Good for him! I'm a senior myself and I know it's hard to keep a perspective in the college admissions hysteria. Congrats! -
College Admission
non-contradictor replied to Toolboxnj's topic in School, College and Child development
I took Sylvan Learning Center's SAT prep course freshman year before I took the old SAT. I found it completely useless for the math, but it was slightly helpful for the CR. When you read the passages, do you mark them at all? I've found it's helpful to underline important ideas, circle words I'm unsure of, etc. If nothing else, it helps me focus. It's hard for me to say anything else without knowing what the exact problem is. Do you run out of time? Do you interpret the passages differently than they expect you to? Do you not know enough of the vocabulary or find yourself guessing a lot? It depends on what you're having trouble with. -
Hello! I'm having some trouble with my physics research and I was hoping someone here might be able to help. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of this: Electrons et Photons: Rapports et Discussions du Cinquième Conseil de Physique tenu à Bruxelles du 24 au 29 Octobre 1927 sous les Auspices de l'Institut International de Physique Solvay, Gauthier-Villars, Paris (1928) It doesn't matter if it's in French or an English translation, but I haven't been able to find anything. I'd appreciate any help you can give. Thanks.
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True enough. Is it as upopular to be happy with adults as it is with teenagers? Nah, all I'm saying is that my parents could've made things a lot harder for me than they did. Okay, I agree with you on that one. Good point.
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Ouch. Okay, you're right, and I'm sorry. It was a generalization that I shouldn't have made. My bitterness about my old school got in the way, which I shouldn't have let happen. I retract the statement and apologize if I offended anyone. My accomplishment isn't much of one. I escaped. I transferred schools. I don't know how much longer I would have lasted at my old school. And in any case my dad raised me to be a good student and I'm no genius. You said you never quite reached the stage of not trying. Well, what I'm trying to get at, is that I knew a lot of people at my old school who did reach that stage. I'm not talking about students that try to learn the material and fail, or students that are miserable in school because it's boring, pointless, etc. I'm talking about the students who hate any subject that's difficult, who think school is worthless and are still perfectly happy attending it, who not only don't try, but don't ever want to. Even if they had a way out of the public schools, they wouldn't take it, because it would be harder. What I want to know is at what point does this stop being the fault of the teachers or the parents and start being the fault of the student? Can we really blame parents or schools for every person that graduates from high school unmotivated, unhappy, and unprepared? To that end, do you think that the legal system should give less severe punishments to criminals who had horrible parents? I feel like I am missing something important here.
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Girlfriend struggling
non-contradictor replied to tnunamak's topic in Psychology and Self Improvement
I was in a similar situation a year ago. I was trying to do a lot of things and it felt like I could never keep up with all of them. I find that when I get very stressed I tend to let things like eating and sleeping suffer. That just turned it into a very vicious cycle, because my concentration goes straight out the window when I don't eat properly. Sleeping is another story. I'm still working on that one. My point is, the first thing to do is to make sure she's taking care of herself. I was shocked and pretty apalled when I realized how much better I did on tests when I swapped the pop tarts for some yogurt. Even if she feels like there's never enough time, skipping lunch to study isn't going to solve anything. -
The Morality of "Paper Writing"
non-contradictor replied to thejohngaltline's topic in Questions about Objectivism
Well, as a student that spends hours at a time copying articles from encyclopedias to use in history papers, I don't consider buying a paper with all the reserach built-in researching. Though, this is one of those things that I think individual teachers will have to develop a policy on eventually. Thanks! -
The Morality of "Paper Writing"
non-contradictor replied to thejohngaltline's topic in Questions about Objectivism
I've never met anyone who uses one of these services for anything other than plagiarism. Most of those get caught, too, since I'm in high school and high school students, especially the ones who buy papers instead of writing them, do not write like university students. I don't think there's any need for such a service, outside of the dishonest one of getting a paper to plagiarise. If a student needs research material, he should research. Even asking for someone to write the paper for him as research material is somewhat dishonest. If the paper requires outside research, he should be doing it himself. Incidentally, I often find it irritating that while students who plariarise papers from services like this are generally condemned, many people find it perfectly acceptable that politicians have speechwriters write their speeches for them, but I digress.