Expecto patronum

“There is death in this book…”

That was local author (and native Englishwoman) Christine San Jose, speaking to the small crowd of Harry Potter enthusiasts who had stayed up late Friday night to catch their first glimpses of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” As the clocks struck midnight at the Wayne County Public Library, Christine prepared to begin reading the first chapter—but before that she had some warnings.

“Yes, there is death in this book,” she declared ominously, casting a stern but not unkind glance across the children at her feet. “If you are not comfortable with the idea of reading about death, then I would advise you to not read this book.”

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Unsafe?

There have been a few times in my life when I have felt scared or unsafe. It is a very lonely feeling. My stomach twists into knots, and my heartbeat speeds up. Adrenaline pumps through me and I feel like running, faster than I’ve ever run before. But I am frozen, my legs like jelly, weak in the knees, vulnerable and helpless.

I remember distinctly the first time this happened. I was in the city with my dad. We were eating up around the Museum of Natural History. It was late by the time we walked the block back to the car. It was dark and I was terrified. I jumped at every loud noise and the block seemed to stretch on forever.

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Be informed, be connected

By MOLLY RODGERS

Economics, environment, farming, preservation, culture, safety, values—if you look back over months of visioning articles, there seem to be two common threads regardless of the particular community focus: being informed and being connected. “Constructive participation and the development of democracy depend on satisfactory education as well as on free and unlimited access to knowledge, thought, culture and information.” (quoted from a UNESCO paper)

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