For my daughter Sarah, who has always thought Hufflepuff House was the coolest place to hang out.
Shared Text: Islamicist Terror and ‘The Voldemort Effect’ on Lateline
December 1, 2015 by 2 Comments
At 5:40 in the talking heads discussion below, please note the reference to “the Voldemort Effect,” the inability of Western liberals and the US President specifically to name jihadist terror as evil or even to accept it as existing. Whatever your politics, there’s no denying that Harry Potter is the only YA title mentioned in this challenging discussion between a public atheist and a Muslim committed to secular values.
The Hunger Games: Shared text and First Family Favorite?
July 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment
President Obama joked about the number of candidates jumping into the 2016 Presidential fray, remarking that there are almost enough for a Hunger Games. This isn’t the first time he has referred to the popular franchise; he mentioned it back at the 2013 Thanksgiving turkey pardon. 
And we know Sasha and/or Malia were reading it as far back as 2010. The question is, did their father borrow their copy, or glean his knowledge from the movies?
In any case, I think Trump and Christie get cast as the Careers.
Shared Text: Jon Stewart Tags Putin as Dark Lord
March 6, 2015 by 1 Comment
Can Russian kleptocrat Vladimir Putin fairly be likened to a certain murderous Heisman Trophy winner in the death of Boris Nemtsov? Or is he really like a certain twisted wizard? (At 4:00 in video.)
The murder of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, right outside the Kremlin in the heart of Moscow, has prompted a lot of speculation about what role, if any, Vladimir Putin played in the killing. Jon Stewart didn’t directly point the finger at Putin on Thursday night’s Daily Show, but he did laugh at the Russian president’s insistence that he will personally lead the investigation into Nemtsov’s murder.
“Oh good, he’s vowing to find the real killer,” Stewart laughed, showing a photo of OJ Simpson. “That’s a promise that always inspires confidence. The only thing that could be more OJ is if Putin started stealing sports memorabilia….” which, of course, he allegedly has. Not that Stewart was done with the comparisons: Putin started out as a fairly normal guy, like Draco Malfoy in the first Harry Potter novel, he said, but after spending too many nights “in the dungeon-y parts of Hogwarts” with the bad kids, Putin has become “Lord Vladimort.” Hopefully there isn’t a sequel. —Peter Weber
You’ll note if you watch the video in the Daily Show clip, no one in the audience struggles to get the play on Tom Riddle’s preferred name if the reference to Robert Kraft’s stolen Super Bowl ring was a reach for many.
Fans of the world’s richest leader can say this as a step up, of course. In the past, President Putin has had to deal with assertions that he was the model for Warner Bros’ depiction of Dobby the house-elf. You can’t make this stuff up. The nightmare figure of postmodern global geo-politics is haunted by Harry Potter associations. (Hat-tip to James!)
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