As many of you know at this point, beloved HPA member and incredible Nerdfighter Esther Earl passed away due to pulmonary thyroid cancer around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.  Please click here to visit her caringbridge page, where you can find out more information about Esther, leave messages of encouragement for her family, or make a donation to help cover her medical bills.

We, along with our friends at the Leaky Cauldron, will be updating you soon with information about the ways we will be honoring Esther’s memory.

Esther, we will miss you always, but I hope more than that we will be inspired by your positivity, courage, and unending tenacity.  This star won’t go out.

Hey everyone, and welcome to this week’s wrap up blog!

There’s a really good forum discussion on the ning, about a religous group that is holding ‘burn a Quran day’ on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. You can find it here: http://bit.ly/a30Iaj

Prop 8 has been overturned again! From August 18th, gay and lesbian people can get married in California. I’ve no doubt this isn’t the end of Prop 8, but we’ll see.

The Islamic Community Centre that is being built near Ground Zero in New York is causing more controversy. The opening date for it is September 11 2011. What’s your opinion on this? Leave a blog on the Ning, or reply here.

Remember, the Ning Staff are looking for Ning Marauders. This is a position between staff and Ning members. If you’re interested, check out this blog post: http://bit.ly/9JEob0

That’s it this week, folks. Check back next week for more interesting stuff in the weekly wrap up blog!

Welcome to the Weekly Wrap Up Blog, Friday the 13^th edition! This week has shaped up to be an eventful one, from important political news to the even more important #MAK4SLACK events of this Wednesday.

 Before we get into that, be sure to read Amanda’s blog post about healing the wounds of genocide in Rwanda and beyond. Post your comments to join the discussion!

 Ning members are constantly debating which wizard rock song is their favorite. My favorite wrock song? I can’t possible choose just one! What’s your favorite Wrock song? Join the discussion here on the Ning!

On a side note, all Ning members should make sure they join their House group! Whether you are a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff, there are plenty of secret House discussions to join in with your fellow House members and your House prefects.

Wednesday, August 11^th was Ginny Weasley’s birthday, but more importantly… our fearless leader Andrew Slack’s 31^st! HPA members celebrated by performing random Magical Acts of Kindness and tweeting about them with the #mak4slack tag. Read the rest of this entry »

We hope your Birthday is filled with good friends, great times, and all of the warmth and spirit you bring to each and every one of us, everyday!

Hello fellow Harry Potter nerds! Can we talk?

Have I ever mentioned how grateful I am to be a part of this fantastic community? Kind and generous people who want to make the world a better place, who strive to do more then what is expected of them, surround me everywhere I go. It is here with the HP Alliance where we have all come together to celebrate one of the greatest things on this earth. The power of love. We have helped those who are in dire need of support and it makes me proud to be a member of the HPA. There are so many people to thank for keeping this community alive and welcoming, but none more than Mr. Andrew Slack, the creator of the HP Alliance. So, today, on Andrew’s Birthday we’re going to increase that power by a trillion! We will be participating in a special MAK-4-SLACK day. Do you remember our Magical Acts of Kindness campaigns? Well, it’s back!

For Andrew’s birthday, the Harry Potter community is doing Magical Acts of Kindness, or MAK. These are random “good deeds” that are done throughout the day. They can be big or small, completely anonymous or in front of a crowd of people. The goal is to decrease world suck and increase world awesome, just for the sake of doing it. Fill somebody’s empty parking meter, give someone your seat on a crowded bus, or help an old lady across the street. Just for the sake of doing it. It can be anything! Remember, MAK is going to last 24 hours. After you do your good deed tweet it to @thehpalliance or @andrewslack with #MAK4SLACK or post a blog on the ning.
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s about that time for another Weekly Wrap Up Blog! Sit right down with some popcorn and get ready to learn some new things and have some fun!

It’s been a long hard road, but it looks like the battle for marriage equality in California will soon be won! Proposition 8, which denied same-sex couples the right to marriage, has been overturned. Prop 8 Decision Announced Wednesday (AKA Today!) is a great post from Grace about the historic decision that was made on Wednesday.

Looking for a fun and informative way to get involved with the fight for marriage equality? Visit Prop 8 Trial Tracker to learn more!

I, for one, am a horrible singer, but I love music! Head on over to the Ning and the discussion on thespians/musicians/the arts to talk about your musical talents!

Remember how awesome it was when JKR donated a set of signed books to the HPA for Helping Haiti Heal? Are you still drooling over the possibility of owning them? Well, you’ve still got a chance! The HPA is partnering with the Association of Electrical Contractors of New York City in an auction to win the books. All proceeds will go to the AEC’s scholarship fund, as well as their support of Kamp Kiwanis. Click here to enter to win!

The Senate has decided to table a climate change bill until the fall. This bill would impose greenhouse gas limits on power plants and do a lot for helping the effort to reverse the effects of climate change on the environment. Frustrated by the Senates’ inaction on climate change? Want to learn more about how to help the environment? Visit the Protego Earth section of the Ning for easy tips on going green and doing more for the environment!

Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.  Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis,the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.” – Judge Walker’s conclusion

You may have heard yesterday that California’s Proposition 8 has been declared unconstitutional.  This is great news, and incredibly important for the LGBT community.  But what exactly does it mean, how did we get here, and where is the fight for LGBT rights heading next?  I’m going to try to answer some of those questions for you.

What is Prop. 8?
In May of 2008, the California Supreme court ruled that marriage was a fundamental right under the California state constitution, meaning that it is a privilege that must be extended to all citizens.  Proposition 8 was a ballot initiative put forward in the November election of the same year.  The wording of Prop. 8 stated that the only marriages that could be recognized in California were marriages between a man and a woman.  Voters could select “yes” if they wanted marriage to be restricted, or “no” if they wanted it to be left open.  California voters passed Proposition 8, and it was amended into the Constitution.

So, what happened yesterday?
Today, Supreme Court Justice Vaughn Walker delivered his verdict in the California Supreme Court Case Perry v. Schwarzenegger.  In May 2009, Kristin Perry was denied a marriage license with her partner Sandra because they were a same-sex couple.  Perry sued the state for the right to marry.  Her legal team argued that Prop. 8 was unconstitutional because there was no rational basis for them to discriminate against lesbian and gay couples.  Judge Walker gave his ruling in the case yesterday, and in the ruling he declared Prop. 8 to be unconstitutional.  Therefore, Prop. 8 is now over-turned.

What does it mean that it was over-turned?
Being over-turned means that the law no longer applies.  Gays and lesbians now technically have a right to marriage in California.

Yay!  That’s it, right?
Well, no.  Judge Walker has also issued a stay on his ruling, meaning that it doesn’t take effect immediately. This ruling will almost certainly be appealed, probably all the way to the Supreme Court.  You can read more about that process here. The fight for equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians is not over yet!

What can I do?
Continue to advocate for the rights of gays and lesbians.  Show your support for the overturning of Prop. 8.  Call your Congress person and let them know how you feel (click to find contact information for your House and Senate members).  Use your voice to let your friends, family, and community know how you feel about rights for the LGBT community–blog, make a video, or talk to people face to face.  We need to publicly challenge the idea that the LGBT community is inferior and continue to support them in this momentous time.

As summer wizard rock tours near their close this week, we here at the Harry Potter Alliance have an important question for you.

Have you WROCKED the VOTE?

Of course, by this we mean have you registered to vote? How about your friends? And your family?

If not, there is still plenty of time. Click here for more information and the voter registration form. Voting is the easiest way to participate in our democracy. Its the easiest way to make our voices heard, to make sure that our government works the way we want it to.

But now that you’re registered (or will be very, very soon, right?) its time to start thinking about the issues that are important to you and how those will affect whom and what you vote for. So what are going to be the decisive issues for you in the midterm elections?

Read the rest of this entry »

“Dumbledore taught us what magic for” – APWBD by the Remus
Lupins. But the HPA taught us what activism is for. Now onto the Weekly Wrap Up Blog!

The ning’s discussion What Color Would You Polyjuice Potion Be? has been mighty popular (and cool). Personally I think I would have a sparkling silver to show off my Slytherin Pride and because I’m a good person all around.

Vanessa’s blog, The Holocaust of the 21st-Century, is not only powerful but also extremely informational. This could be one of the most well stated blogs about Darfur I’ve read in a while.

Can’t get enough of Doctor Who? Share your love, excitement and your frustrations with these fellow fans at the topic Doctor Who.

The Arizona Immegration Law has had a few (awesome) setbacks! It looks like it just may be completely declared unconstitutional! Check out this video.

If you happened to run into Jo Rowling walking down the street, what would you ask her? Talk about it in the topic What Unanswered Questions Would You Ask JK Rowling if You had the Chance? and maybe you could share an answer or two! Well th-th-th-that’s all folks!