The Write Journey

Applause for Ms. Rowling!

As a writer, I had serious concerns about book 7 of Harry Potter. I can only imagine what it was like to be Ms. Rowling and deal with the pressures by the media, the legions of fans, and the publishing and movie companies, to produce a fitting ending to this powerhouse cultural phenomenon. I mean how do you produce an ending that both satisfies and yet surprises under such widespread scrutiny and speculation?

But to her credit, Ms. Rowling pulled it off to beautiful effect. While I won't say the book is perfect (and honestly, what book is?), this is an outstandingly written book full of action and adventure. There are some parts that seemed to be glossed over a bit too quickly, and other parts that maybe didn't warrant as much detail as they were given, but overall the book has a strong plot that maintains a good, steady pace all the way through. Yes there is loss, and yes some of the occurrences in the book will be disturbing to those of us who have fallen in love with all of the characters. But these books have an underlying message about life, and the process of growing up, and the adversities and life-lessons we must face along the way.

For me, Harry Potter is a metaphor for these things, and the fact that we can all identify with these them is exactly what has made them so unbelievably successful. We all have at least a little Harry Potter in us, and what we learn from him is to persevere and always hold on to doing what's right. JK Rowling has created a character that will be a part of our culture from now to the end of time.

Clearly, like her beloved literary offspring, she knows how to do what's right, because Harry Potter represents all the virtues that are right in this world. I hope everyone will read and enjoy these books as much as I have.

- Gregory Bernard Banks, author

Samsung LN-R268W 26" HD-Ready Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD TV

When I decided that I wanted to get a high def LCD for my XBox 360, I did much research. It was a very difficult decision, especially given that, unlike most electronic products I've bought in the past, the price ranges from brand to brand, and screen size to screen size, vary widely. I asked some advice, and read as many reviews online as I can find, the majority of which came from right here on Amazon.com.

After some time, I finally narrowed it down to the Samsung, and the Phillips, which also had great reviews. As I had also decided to purchase a DVD/VCR Recorder, and had decided upon the Philips DVDR3320 DVD Recorder/vcr Combo, I had settled on buying a Phillips brand LCD as well.

But then I had the opportunity to go to a local store just before making my purchase. Fortunately, they had a couple of Samsung's (though not this particular model) plus several other brands, including Phillips, on display. I was sold as soon as I laid eyes on the Samsung. All the televisions were lined up in a single row, and the Samsung models all stood out head and shoulders above all the others except perhaps one other brand (Panasonic, if memory serves). The televisions were showing a football game at the time, and while the Samsungs looked as if they were a direct window looking down on a live game, the most of the other LCDs made the broadcast look as if it was on film. The crispness, brightness and high contrast of the Samsung far surpassed the others. Once I added that with the rave reviews I've seen on this tv, my choice was made.

I've only had television hooked up for 3 days now as I type this, and it doesn't disappoint. The picture is super bright and clear, so much so that it makes old video taped programs look extremely dull. But when you play DVDs or the XBox 360 through the component video connections, the display is beyond outstanding!

The sound is even better than I expected, and the picture and sound adjustments are extensive. For my taste, the auto brightness sensor tends to be a little too dark, and seems to also lessen the contrast, giving the screen a grayish tint. But one can easily disable this feature.

One tip. If you want to adjust the colors properly, find a clear channel during a live or live-on-tape broadcast, or if possible, do the adjustments while playing a DVD through one of the video connections. Broadcast and cable channels tend to vary greatly in picture brightness, sharpness, and color, making it virtually impossible to find one setting that will accomodate all channels. So just make your adjustments on the highest quality picture you can get.

As far as I'm concerned, the Samsung is the best television I've ever had. I'm looking forward to getting years of pleasure from this tv, and if you buy this tv, I believe that there is no doubt that you will as well.