From Gil Smart, assistant news editor of Lancaster Online: “They’re laughing at us, you know. It’s in Sports Illustrated this week, right there in the column ‘This Week’s Sign of the Apocalypse’: ‘The Lancaster (Pa.) YMCA is scrambling for security help for its Sept. 7 triathlon after a nearby fire police department decided to boycott …read more!

And thanks also to Donna for the head’s-up regarding this interview with J.K. Rowling which is airing tonight (3 February) on the CBS news program Sixty Minutes.

Thanks to reader Linda for letting us know that Counting Down had posted a link to four new pictures from the set of Chamber of Secrets. Police fear the popularity of owls has soared in Bolton following the success of the Harry Potter hit movie. Police wildlife officers in Bolton have seen a rise in …read more!

It was no magic when Melissa Leech made milk disappear from a rolled-up newspaper Wednesday afternoon, but it certainly appeared that way to her class of little witches and wizards. Allard Elementary School learning support teacher Leech, in the guise of Professor McGongall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School, showed her second-grade pupils that science can …read more!

Rames has informed us that Hogwarts Online will be down for the weekend, as they move servers. Don’t worry too much when you click on the link and can’t get to the site – it’ll be back soon!

The city was buzzing with star-studded excitement as filming got under way for the Harry Potter sequel at Gloucester Cathedral. Stars braved the rain as they moved about the ultra-secretive Warner Bros set, and some even stopped to pose for the cameras. (Thanks to The Wizard World for the link.) Reader Roger also points us …read more!

While the popularity of Harry Potter sweeps the country, J.K. Rawlings’ [sic] books dominate the best-seller lists, and the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone earns upward of $300 million, poor Harry faces foes in this country more formidable than his nemesis, Draco Malfoy and villainous Lord Voldemort (thanks to Donna for …read more!

Thanks to Monica for the pointer to a pic of Gemma Padley, who is reportedly set to play Penelope Clearwater. The image is from a UK show called Casual+y and show that Ms Padley has experience acting from a hospital bed, which is important in anyone playing Ms Clearwater.

Thanks to Trond Michelsen, we’ve been able to get more information on Huskeiran. He found a webpage that provides its coordinates, and gives its location as 57°32’22” Northern Latitude, 07°43’58” Western Longitude. “This would probably place it with the Monach Islands, which is a part of the Outer Hebrides.” At a website Trond found which …read more!

I’ve fixed the below link on the Huskeiran item – it was going to a general page.