Welcome Back to Suzanne & Jen/Stouffer Lawsuit/Questions for Jo

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 4589

Hi --

I'm so glad to see some of our old Yahoo members drifting back in from
time to time.  I'd begun to wonder whether the switch to egroups had
scared them away.  So, welcome back to Jen P & Suzanne.

STOUFFER -- Suzanne -- Heidi is doing the "FAQ" (we've got about 60
substantive/topical FAQs in some stage of completion) on the Stouffer
Lawsuit.  I'm sure she'll reply with the latest news when she gets a
chance.  I haven't heard anything lately about Stouffer targeting fan
websites.  Has anyone else?

QUESTIONS FOR JO -- Nick I think it's a wonderful idea if you include
some of our discussion threads.  Maybe she would agree to do an "adults"
chat for this group (or, you know, we could be persuaded to open it up
to the general public I suppose -- <g>).  I am still planning, unless
there are objections, to sending her a hard-copy print-out of the FAQs
once they are completed.  But, it may be awhile yet on those.
Suggestions --

        1.  The Marauders Map threads of very recently are a good
example of our twisted obsessive thought process.

        2.  Send her the analysis of number of students, starting with
when she said it was 1000 students at the Scholastic chat.  I'm *still*
in the camp that is convinced that number just has to be wrong.  <g>

        3.  Some of the geographic threads from recent discussions,
including Godric's Hollow, might be a good thing to send.  Especially
since that thread discusses some of the "mysteries" of what happened
sequence wise on 31 Oct - 2 Nov 1981.

        4.  I know you said you didn't want to send specific questions
-- but what about a print-out of the questions that we submitted to the
various chats.  None of those questions require that plots of future
books be revealed.  They are really focused on clearing up mysteries &
inconsistencies from the first 4 books.

Be sure to let us all know what her response is!

FILES SECTION -- Jim Flanagan has done some reorganizing of our Files
section (thanks Jim!) -- so please try to follow the new organization
when you're uploading pictures, maps, drawings, etc.

KINGS CROSS STATION -- There is NO barrier between Platforms 9 & 10 at
King's Cross (not in April of this year anyway).  It was such a
disappointment!

HORIZONTAL SCAR -- Dave mentioned that Harry's scar in much of the new
WB & Hallmark merchandise is horizontal.  I honestly hadn't noticed that
-- I was so busy lamenting the fact that Harry looks like he's on LSD.
I'm not surprised though.  I'm really just astonished that they would
not hire artists who had at least read the books (and it'd have been
better if the artists were *fans* of the books IMO).  How hard would it
be to give Hermione brown hair & brown eyes?  Why are the characters'
eyes half-closed, giving them this stoned appearance?  Why are their
teeth depicted as solid white mass -- contributing to the overall stoned
appearance?  I do like the Harry in the bookends, clock & some of the
other merchandise but the depictions on the posters, mugs & some other
stuff is just horrid.

BRITISH FOOD -- I'm with Simon -- British food should not be maligned so
much!  I'm also not the least bit surprised that Hermione had only had
Bouillabaisse while on holiday in France or that neither Harry nor Ron
had heard of it or tasted it before.  Many people are only comfortable
with the familiar.  I can assure you that my mother & father (from
Missouri & Alabama respectively & now in western Texas) have neither
heard of nor tasted Bouillabaisse.  On the other hand, I think it's
quite likely that all 3 of them (H, H & R) have all been exposed to
Indian food (which is very prevalent in Great Britain) and probably
Asian foods of various varieties.  Well, Harry will have been exposed
only if the Dursleys ever took him & Dudders out to dinner now & again.
If they only relied on Petunia's cooking, they might not have ever heard
of such things.

> My college dinning hall food can be terrible (this is why I am living in one of the other blocks - the chef
> down here can cook brilliantly). Just because you can recognize what is in
> it does not mean that it is edible.
>
Having lived for 6 weeks at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, I can vouch
for this generality.  We poured mounds of the ubiquitous British "brown
sauce" over virtually everything served in the dining hall.  :--)

Penny





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