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This is water.
In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of...
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lyndonriggall asked: You've sold me. I was dubious that "Time Crash" would work again, but you're right, there are a billion ways that you could do this outside of "Look, it's all the Doctors, let's chat and fight a Dalek." Also I'm a total sucker for the preposition of an 8th/9th regeneration. I can't argue that shouldn't exist, and it would be a perfect 50th event. Gah, it's so fun breezing the Who with you, thank you. I'll smeg off for a bit now. YES VERHOEVEN, I MIXED MY SCI-FI REFERENCES. TRY AND STOP ME.
RUN, YOU GOIT.
Also, I absolutely love that you’re open minded on this. Gives me hope for much of fandom. :D
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“Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot...”
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The lovely Lyndon asked why I didn’t put Tomb of the Cybermen in my Doctor Who mixtape! I made a quick video response. Enjoy!
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1. Be Kind. If this is the one thing I manage to do, I’ve done enough. Kindness may seem like a personality trait, but I think of it more as a...
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When Andrew Slack finished the Harry Potter books he felt, like most of us, a little disappointed. Not because the story was bad, but because it was kind of awesome. And now suddenly it was over, and all that magic was gone from his life. Why couldn’t the real world be more like Harry’s, with forces of evil and darkness to be overcome? Why couldn’t we be in Dumbledore’s Army too, fighting for our schools and friends and values?
Following this line of thought, he realised pretty quickly that actually there was no reason. After all, weren’t depression, illiteracy, climate change and child slavery some of our own, equally evil dark forces? Why couldn’t we form an army against them? The Harry Potter Alliance was born.
For me the H.P.A has an advantage over other charities because its members share something more than a cause. They also share a passion. As the planes that the Alliance sent to Haiti were loaded with food and supplies, each had a name: Harry, Hermione, Ron. It was more than just a victory for charity and goodwill, it was a victory for one of literature’s greatest heroes. As you guys might remember from my Walk To Mordor Fitness Challenge, I’m really interested this year in the point where books stop being books and become something bigger. As such, I’m fascinated by the H.P.A.
So I offered to take charge of their movement in Tasmania.
If you want to do some good in the world, the H.P.A is a great place to start. What has really impressed me about joining their ranks is the way that they use their organisation as a piggy-back to give you the launch from book fan to activist. I was appalled when I heard about SOPA being put forward in the U.S. but I didn’t know what to do, or even if I could do anything at all. The H.P.A showed me how I could add my name to the list of those in opposition. At the moment they are about to start a Hunger Games campaign called ‘Imagine Better’ which will encourage fans of Suzanne Collins’ books to support charities like Oxfam who are working towards fighting issues such as water scarcity and the disempowerment of women. The theory that fans of books care deeply about the message in those books is spreading. And it’s making a real difference.
So what can you do? Well, it wouldn’t hurt to watch Andrew Slack’s presentation at TEDx about why he started the Alliance. Importantly though, your first step would be to join my Dumbledore’s Army Tasmania (DATAS) Facebook page (you do not have to be Tasmanian to join!). I’m keeping that updated with everything I hear, so it’s the best place to keep in the loop. DATAS is still in its infancy, and from here its goals are largely what you guys want. If you want to meet up in person, we’ll do it. If you want to hold events, fundraisers and charity drives, we’ll do that. If it’s more online activism that interests then we can do that too. I only ask that you get excited about it. And tell your friends!
Welcome to the Harry Potter Alliance. Let’s go fight the evils that no-one else will name.
