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.

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!

 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. Here’s a sampling of some MAKs for Slack:

-“Tonight I wrote compliments with chalk down the sidewalks in my neighborhood for people to see in the morning. #MAK4SLACK”

-“I left little notes saying ‘You’re beautiful’ on the mirrors in the girls restrooms today! #MAK4SLACK”

-“I shared a sandwich and an apple to a colleague who didn’t have money for lunch. #MAK4SLACK”

If it’s even possible to cram more into that MAK-packed Wednesday, it also began the holy month of Ramadan for the Islamic community.

Sofia’s blog post talks a bit about the ongoing controversy surrounding the building of a proposed mosque and Islamic center near the Ground Zero site. Voice your opinion on this hot issue with your own blog

post on the Ning. Your blog could be featured on the Weekly Wrap Up Blog next week!

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.

I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew while my sister and I were at VidCon. We immediately recognized him from some videos he had made (the HP Alliance shirt didn’t hurt either.) We had only known Andrew for a few months from our work on the HPA, but his friendly nature made it seem like we had known him for years. His passion for his work radiates from him giving energy to those near by. He recognizes the good in everybody and puts his soul into every project he does. If it weren’t for his simple yet brilliant idea, to make Harry’s message of love a reality, we would be missing a valuable and essential part of our community. It is time for us to spread this love to the far reaches of our own communities. The HPA is a living entity with Andrew at the very heart of it. It is our jobs as members to give life to the rest of the body with our magical acts of kindness.

A big thanks goes out to Elin and Runa for coming up with this fantastic idea.

For Andrew, I wish you the Happiest of Happy Birthdays!

For Everyone, remember: the weapon we have is love.

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!

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.

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?

We’re all concerned about the economy and the job market, right? Because some of us are trying to pay for college, or help our families with bills or save up spending money. Perhaps its the environment that will make the difference for you when you vote this fall, or marriage equality or education. These are all issues that affect our lives and the lives of our friends, families and neighbors. And they represent a good portion of the issues that we should be thinking about when we get ready to vote in November.

So now is a good time to start researching, and asking questions. The more information you’ve got, the easier it will be to make a confident and informed decisions. Head over to the Ning discussions on the topic by clicking here. Check back to the blogs for information about issues you care about. Talk to people you know and read the newspaper, blogs, and commentaries.

And if you aren’t old enough to vote yet, don’t worry! There is still plenty you can do. Pay attention to the news and the issues that are important to you. You can still talk about them with your friends and family. You can be an advocate and a source of information for people who are old enough to vote. Maybe that article you show them will change their mind about a certain issue or candidate. Maybe that statistic about the special ballot initiative in your state will help your friend win an argument with someone else. And when you do turn 18, you won’t have to start from scratch because you’ll already be very well informed.

So get ready guys, because Wrock the Vote might be ending, but the fun is only just getting started.

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!