Order of the Phoenix

I am a big Harry Potter fan and can't wait to see the new movie"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". I have loved every one of the movies and have them all in my collection. I think there is something about these movies that takes you back to when you were a kid and didn't know (or at least you weren't sure) that wizards and witches did not exist in this capacity. I think the casting in these movies was right on! It is kind of a shame to see these kids grow up. It will also be sad to see the series end.

How popular is Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)? He is going to be on Larry King Live tonight at 8 p.m. central! JK Rowling (author of Harry Potter Series) is also estimated to be worth $1 billion dollars!

Who knows maybe she will come up with another unforgettable story!

The American Holiday

Well, it is that time again. It is roughly halfway through summer vacation! Unbelievable! It goes faster every year. It's time to watch the fireworks, eat hot dogs and apple pie, and enjoy a tall glass of lemonade. My family and I were lucky enough to get to watch some good fireworks over the weekend in my wife's hometown. We got pretty close and had a good view. I tried for the first time to take pictures of fireworks and they came out pretty good. The picture above was of the finale. The show was short but there were no delays in between. It also sounds like these spring temperatures are about to give way to more summer like temps. Hey, what do you expect? It is July! Enjoy the rest of summer. Catch fireflies, eat some ice cold watermelon, run through the sprinkler, go swimming, go on a picnic, go to the park, go for a long walk, sit on the porch and enjoy the summer sounds. Why do all these things? You should do them now because before you know it it will be snowing and unbearably cold! Time flies and I think many of us forget how short life is.

Good News Concerning Endangered Species

Believe it or not, the bald eagle is now off the endangered species list! How often do we hear good news concerning endangered species? In 1963 there were only about 400 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states! Today there are around 10,000 pairs! I would say that is a success story.

Again, some of you younger readers may not know the cause of these low numbers in the '60s. The rapid decrease in population was due mainly to the pesticide DDT. The DDT built up in the eagles and that caused them to lay eggs that had weak shells. The eagles were placed under protection in 1967 (The year I was born!).

Hopefully more species will follow in the footsteps of the bald eagle! Wouldn't it be great to have more positive news concerning our national wildlife?

"I'll be back."

For those young readers of mine that don't know what the title quote means, it is a famous quote used by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in some of his more famous movies (Terminator, etc.). Yes, he was an actor in many famous action flicks! Anyway, to my point; There is a new device called a robot soldier, Robocop (another movie), or Terminator, that I think is a great idea! It will take police out of harms way. The device is a robot that is armed with a taser. This way, the person that is out of control could be subdued without putting police officers in danger. The device itself does not make the decisions on when to fire, and such, but a human with a remote like control, would be. Having something that can keep a human from getting injured or killed is, in my opinion, a very important step in the development of civilization.

The robot soldiers could be set up to use more dangerous weapons. They mentioned in the article, that down the road, "Robocops" could be hi-tech enough to be able to make the decision on whether or not to use lethal force. I am not sold on this idea yet but the current robot is a definite improvement on what we have now. How many lives could be saved?

Another Tragedy

First, let me tell you that I am currently not a pro wrestling fan. I used to be when I was younger. I did know of Chris Benoit. In my opinion, he was a very entertaining wrestler. What happened in his house on June25th is very weird and I am not sure if authorities will ever be able to tell what exactly happened over that previous weekend. All that is known is that three people are dead. Chris was found downstairs hanging by a pulley. His son (Daniel), 7, was found in his bed and it seems that he was choked to death. His wife, Nancy, was found upstairs in the family room with her feet and wrists bounds and there was blood underneath her head. Could steroids have been the cause of this gruesome crime? It is being considered. Could something else have triggered this?

Once again, the saddest part of this story is another child not getting to enjoy growing up. Another child won't get to know what it feels like to drive for the first time with his new license. He won't get to have that feeling you get when you have your first kiss, your first best friend, your senior prom, the day you get married, or the day your children are born. What could possibly be so wrong that death is the only solution that you can think of? I will never understand crimes like this! No child deserves to die like this.