Is this the end?

Well, is it?

Your comments are appreciated.

So long, Tookie

Several years ago a friend brought over a parrot that was no longer wanted by its owner.

Over the next several days, my roommate at the time and I tried to come up with a name for this bird.

One night, my roommate, an Israeli, kept talking to the bird and saying, "Tookie! Tookie! Tookie!"

When I asked him what he was saying, he told me that 'tookie' was Hebrew for 'parrot."

So, basically, he was sitting on the couch saying "Parrot! Parrot! Parrot!"

And so we named Tookie.

Tookie passed away a couple of months ago. Had I not 'retired' from blogging, I may have written my post in honor of him then.

But I didn't.

So I'm doing it now.

So long, Tookie. I'll miss you sleeping on my chest and leading every other animal around the house, demonstrating just which one of you was the smartest one under the roof.

Keep one leg up, and your head tucked under your wing.

Harry Potter

Saw it last night. Loved it. My overall review: it's a much slower paced film than the others and if you haven't read the books, you might find it a bit boring.

For those of us who have read the books, and can view this movie as a piece of a larger whole, you'll appreciate the character development, but mostly you'll like the wizards fight at the end. I've been waiting a few years to see that. It was pretty good.

Luna Lovegood is a scene stealer, and that was a pleasant surprise.

All in all, I liked it. My brother, who doesn't read the books had this to say: I kept waiting for Voldemort to say, "Luke, I am your father." That is, he'll take Star Wars over Harry Potter any day.

Kane Watch: Cluck, Cluck

Looks like Gene got slapped for his little stunt with the fake interview. Only Gene could get away with a wrist slap for this kind of thing. I wonder how the victim felt upon reading the interview, only to find out later that the whole thing was a sick joke.

Wonder if Kane had to explain to the editor what he meant by, "Not everyone is as clueless as Charlie Sykes who made a fuss about the group interview being fake." After all, the editor ran a letter referencing the column as legit.

Oops. Nothing quite like calling your own boss clueless.

Anyway, here's the apology. This time it's in his column, not hidden away in the blog.

The Few Who Ruin It for Everybody: Lots of readers thought last Sunday's column was a powerful statement on the troubles with disruptive young black people in Milwaukee. But some were confused about whether the column was written from an actual interview with a group of specific young people who talked about their viewpoints.

It wasn't.

The column - you can read it at www.jsonline.com/links - was my attempt to address the issue of young blacks who find creative ways to spoil positive events in the black community, such as the beating of an innocent motorist at Juneteenth Day. Although based on my experiences talking with young people about violence in the city, the dialogue was never meant to be taken literally as an actual interview.

I was surprised that some readers misinterpreted my writing device, which was admittedly more literary than journalistic. I apologize for any confusion.