Welcome Harry To Diagon Alley!

A cobblestoned shopping area for the wizarding world, where Hogwarts students can purchase necessary supplies."

—Description of Diagon Alley 

Diagon Alley is a cobblestoned wizarding alley and shopping area located in London, England behind a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Inside the alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights. All items on the Hogwarts supply list can be bought at Diagon Alley. The alley is completely hidden from the Muggle world which is right outside of its boundaries. It is very large in area and essentially the centre of wizarding London

History

Early history

The Leaky Cauldron was present long before Charing Cross Road was even planned in the nineteenth centery; its true address is number one, Diagon Alley, and it is believed to have been built some time in the early 1500s, along with the rest of the wizarding street. It is a popular historical theory that the second oldest building in Diagon Alley is Gringotts Wizarding Bank and that the other shops grew up around it. However, there is a possibility that Ollivanders is the oldest building, records dating back to the early fourth century B.C.
When the Statute of Secrecy was imposed Diagon Alley was hidden by the use of many powerful spells of concealment. The then Minister for Magic, Ulick Gamp agreed to give the landlord of the day present at the Leaky Caluldron responsibility for letting people into Diagon Alley from his back yard.
In 1926, one of the shops in Diagon Alley was burgled with the help of a Four-Headed Bird.

Harry Potter's first visit

"There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon..."

—Harry Potter visits Diagon Alley for the first time

Diagon Alley in the films

Harry Potter's first visit to Diagon Alley with Rubeus Hagrid marked his re-introduction to the wizarding world. Harry's first stop was Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where he encountered Goblins for the first time. After obtaining money from the bank Hagrid helped Harry shop for his school supplies and purchased Harry's eleventh birthday present, the snowy owl Hedwig, from Eeylops Owl Emporium. Harry also purchased his wand from Ollivanders. When visiting Diagon Alley Harry remarked that he wished he had more than one set of eyes to be able to take in all the sights the alley has to offer.

Return of the Dark Lord

"The colourful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them... A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street."

—Description of Diagon Alley's gloominess

Death Eaters maniacally attack shops and kidnapping Ollivander along Diagon Alley in 1996

In 1996, the return of Voldemort affected the appearance of Diagon Alley dramatically. Wizards and witches no longer felt safe wandering out in public. The once-crowded streets stood virtually empty, the few shoppers staying together in groups; "Wanted" posters with the faces of Death Eaters plastered the fronts of once-bright shops and street stalls popped up, hawking "protective" amulets and charms.
Ollivanders and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour were closed.

Source: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Diagon_Alley

Amazing 'Flatliners' Plot, Visually Mesmerizing..

An Amazing Sci-Fi Thriller Starring  Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon

Nelson Wright (Kiefer Sutherland), convinces four of his medical school classmates — Joe Hurley (William Baldwin), David Labraccio (Kevin Bacon), Randall Steckle (Oliver Platt) and Rachel Manus (Julia Roberts) — to help him discover what lies beyond death. Nelson flatlines for one minute before his classmates resuscitate him. While "dead", he experiences a sort of afterlife. He sees a vision of a boy he bullied as a child, Billy Mahoney. He merely tells his friends that he can't describe what he saw, but something is there. The others decide to follow Nelson's daring feat. Joe flatlines next, and he experiences an erotic afterlife sequence. He agrees with Nelson's claim that something indeed exists. David is third to flatline, and he sees a vision of a girl, Winnie Hicks (Kimberly Scott), that he bullied in grade school. The three men start to experience vivid hallucinations that are related to their afterlife visions, but Nelson's circumstances are particularly freakish; he is repeatedly physically attacked by Billy Mahoney and each day presents with fresh cuts and wounds. Joe, engaged to be married, is haunted by home videos that he secretly filmed of his sexual trysts with other women. David is confronted by a vision of Winnie Hicks on a train, and she verbally taunts him like he did to her.

At Rachel's insistence, the group agrees to let her flatline next. David, disturbed by his hallucinations, has a change of heart and tries to stop the others from giving Rachel their same fate, but she has already flatlined by the time he arrives. They are almost unable to bring Rachel back to life after the power goes out, as the men cannot shock her with the defibrillator paddles. Luckily they manage to recusitate her, but she, too, begins experiencing haunting flashbacks: in her case, memories of her father committing suicide when she was a young girl. One by one, the other men open up about their harrowing experiences to one another, and David decides to put his visions to a stop. He tracks down Winnie Hicks, now grown up, and travels to her home to offer an apology. Winnie thanks him, and accepts his apology. David immediately feels a weight lifted off his shoulders. Nelson, who has accompanied David on the trip, remains alone in David's truck and catches a glimpse of Billy Mahoney darting past outside. Suddenly Billy appears inside the truck and attacks him with a pickaxe. Nelson struggles to fend him off and David arrives on the scene just in time to end the hallucination and prevent serious injury to Nelson, revealing that Nelson was alone in the truck and that he was attacking himself with the pickaxe. Meanwhile, Joe's fiancée, Anne (Hope Davis), unexpectedly comes to his apartment, and she breaks off their engagement after discovering his videos. Joe's visions cease after Anne leaves him. Rachel seeks comfort in the arms of David, and the two spend the night together in bed. While Rachel and David are together, Nelson brings Steckle and Joe to the gravesite of Billy Mahoney. He reveals a long-kept secret: he and his friends inadvertently killed Billy Mahoney as youngsters when they chased him up a tree and pelted him with rocks, causing him to fall to his death. Nelson mutters to himself about making amends, then suddenly storms off, leaving Joe and Steckle stranded.

David leaves Rachel alone in order to pick up Joe and Steckle from the cemetery. While alone, Rachel goes to the bathroom, and encounters her father. He apologizes to his daughter, and her guilt over his death is lifted when she discovers that he was addicted to heroin. Rachel receives a phone call from Nelson, who tells her that he needs to flatline again in order to make amends. He apologizes for involving her and their friends in his plan before hanging up. Rachel and the other three men realize what Nelson is planning and race to save him, eventually reaching him more than nine minutes after his phone call. They work feverishly to save him, but too much time has passed and they decide to give up. Meanwhile, in the afterlife a young Nelson has reversed roles with Billy Mahoney and is being pelted with rocks by him and his other friends while up in the tree. Young Nelson falls from the tree, morphing into the older Nelson just before hitting the ground. He looks up to see Billy Mahoney standing over him and smiling before slowly walking away into a bright light, having made peace. In an act of utter frustration, David gives Nelson one last shock. Miraculously, Nelson is resuscitated, and after regaining consciousness he tells them, "Today wasn't a good day to die."

(Source Wikipedia)

Imagination of The DisneyWorld Realm

Meditative Writing, Classes by Jacob Krueger Studio

MEDITATIVE WRITING

With Jessica Hinds

Wednesdays, 7-9pm
6 Weeks
April 10-May 22 (no class May 15)

Learn to tap into your deepest instincts as a writer, and connect to your writing at its creative source. This 6 week series of 2 hour meditative writing sessions will help you break through writers block, so your writing, and unique voice, can flow effortlessly. Designed for writers of all genres, including Screenwriters, Playwrights, Novelists & Short Story Writers.

Price: $350.00

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” – Pablo Picasso

There was a time when creativity was easy—when you were a child, driven by an endless desire to create, and no fear, no judgment, and no internal censor whatsoever.
The goal of meditative writing is to return you to that time, when finding your voice as a writer was as easy as being yourself, and raw creativity flowed as effortlessly as inspiration.
You’ll learn to banish writer’s block forever, find inspiration in an instant, and discover the heart of your story and your characters, by tapping into your own voice as a writer, and your deepest creative instincts.

How Does It Work?

Each session begins with a short guided meditation, followed by a series of carefully crafted meditative writing exercises, designed to transport you out of your everyday life, and connect you to the emotional truth of your story and of your characters.
Over 6 weeks, you’ll build a writing practice that allows you to get your pages flowing at will, recover the joy you’ve always felt with writing, and write from your most connected place every time you sit down with your characters.

 

Who Should Take Meditative Writing?

Whether you are brand new to writing, or a seasoned writer looking to inject energy back into your writing, meditative writing will change your writing life forever.
Designed for writers of all types, including screenwriters, playwrights, poets, novelists, and writers of any other genre, here are just a few of the many benefits of this approach:

• Uncovering the Real Emotional Underbelly That Drives Great Films
• Discovering Your True Voice
• Creating More Provocative Dialogue, Images and Action
• Developing an “Inspiration on Command” Writing Schedule
• Injecting Joy Into Your Writing Process
• Getting in Touch With Your Characters
• Finding the Heart of Your Story
• Discovering Theme
• Natural Subtext
• Opening Up Your Creative Side
• Learning How To Write Even When You Can’t Find a “Quiet Place”
• Connecting Yourself To Your Characters and Story Even If You Are Working On Assignment
• Writing Cooler, Bigger, More Intense and Compelling Scenes
• Learning To Love Your Weirdness and Understand Its Value
• Relaxation
• Confidence
• Focus
• Banishing Writers Block Forever
• Fun!

Answers To Common Questions

What’s the Difference Between Meditative Writing and Your Other Classes?

Unlike our other classes, which focus on merging the art and the craft of writing, Meditative Writing allows you to put the craft and all your conscious goals as a writer aside for awhile, and concentrate only on connecting to the emotional truth of your writing and your characters.  Each class is devoted entirely to writing exercises, so you’ll leave each time with tons of powerful raw material that you can hone and refine throughout the rest of your writing week.

Can I take Meditative Writing and a Write Your Screenplay Class or Personal Training at the Same Time?
 
Yes, in fact we highly recommend it, and even offer a $100 discount for students who wish to combine meditative writing with any class of 4 weeks or longer or with our Personal Training One-on-One Mentorship Program.  To take advantage of this discount, email us or call 917-464-3594.

What If It Doesn’t Work For Me?
 
Many writers find that their writing is instantly flowing with the very first session of meditative writing.  Others find it more like yoga or learning piano, a practice that requires repetition and patience.   You may find at first that writing in this way for 15 or 20 minutes is enough to get you started… but over time everyone progresses to longer and longer periods of deeply connected writing. You are welcome to discuss your progress with your teacher anytime before or after class.

What is the Guided Meditation Like?
 
The guided meditation used in meditative writing simply requires you to close your eyes and be led through a series of visualizations that will open you up to your subconscious.  You will be awake, aware and totally in control the whole time!

Should I Take This Class Online?
 
Writing classes are about trust, community, and real-time give and take between student and teacher, so we’ve designed our online classes give our online students the same personalized experience as the students in the room.  Our LIVE video stream allows you to see and hear everything as if you were with us in person.  You can even ask questions via our online chat and get them answered instantly by the instructor.  Plus, we keep video-on-demand replays of every session online for a full month after the class ends, so you can watch and rewatch them on your own time and your own schedule.  All you need is a computer and a high speed internet connection.

What If I Have To Miss A Class?
 
As with all courses at Jacob Krueger Studio, you never have to worry about missing a class, no matter how busy your schedule.  Whether you take Meditative Writing in person or online, you’ll have access to unlimited video replays for a full month after the class ends, so you can watch and rewatch anytime, from anywhere in the world, and use these techniques every time you sit down to write.

By Pen Densham's "Eyeshot" Powerful Network, 7 Basic Plots for Story Utilities Improving Creativity!

THE SEVEN BASIC PLOTS
BY JOHN LEARY
Every story utilizes one of seven basic plots. They are:
1. Man v (Wo)man
This, the most typical story, is about the man who has an argument with his wife one night over whether she will make his lunch for him to take to work the next day. He likes a turkey sandwich and a piece of fruit.  He has a job but she can’t find one, so he thinks she should make his lunch. He doesn’t realize that she can’t find a job because she is a mean sort of person, and not many people like her. Worse, her face is covered in stains and she doesn’t know how to end conversations in the office. He insists that she make his lunch, not realizing that the cramps she feels when reminded of her unemployment are sharpened by his expectations of subservience. They argue, agendas throbbing like a stubbed toe. At last, too embarrassed to resist further, she makes his lunch while he sits at the kitchen table drinking a beer. That night they sleep in separate parts of their bed. In the morning he wakes up and checks his email before getting into the shower, and sees that he has been asked to take a client to lunch that day. He will not need to take his lunch after all. He feels a rush of tender feelings and guilt, and he is able to share a few of these feelings with his wife. They embrace. She promises him that she will keep his lunch in the refrigerator, safely stored, so that he can take it to work the following day. By the time he returns home from work that evening, his wife has not yet decided whether or not to remove the Ipecac-laden pudding that she tucked between his sandwich and apple. Ipecac is a very strong laxative-purgative.
2. Man v Nature
Wash the car and it rains. Go outside without an umbrella and it rains. Try to have a little vegetable garden in that fenced-off part of the backyard, and the plants get attacked by snails and crows, and then it never rains. Pissed off, you open the refrigerator and a Bengal tiger jumps out. You wrestle it to the death and have a beer. A homebrew you made from plants you gathered around the neighborhood.
3. Man v Environment
 A man eats too much fast food and the growth hormones the hamburger-cattle eat cause him to grow enormous breasts. He wants to open a dry cleaning business in his backyard but the neighbors prevent him because he can’t figure out how to dispose of the cleaning chemicals without infecting the ecosystem. He tries to grow a lawn and his neighbors all offer conflicting advice, so he ends up with the only front yard on the street covered in brown stains. He paints the trim on his garage a brick-red color and one of his neighbors comments that the color looks “like a monkey’s ass.”  One of the neighbor’s kids, a five year old boy, stands in his front yard in his underwear holding his ears, jumping up and down and screaming, for several hours a day. No one seems to complain. Zoning laws can be so arbitrary, so fickle. The man applies for a permit to open a muffler repair shop and the permit board turns him down. Some days, he just wants to cry. This story never has a happy ending. Either the man goes mad and hops up and down on his front lawn holding his ears and screaming, or he becomes just like the neighbors. Exactly like them, down to their fatty white teeth.
4. Man v Machine
Same as #1., but this time the wife is a robot.
5. Man v The Supernatural
The Green Ghoul chases the meddling kids down the staircase, heading right for the trap, but then one of the kids falls backwards and to break his fall he hits the switch on the giant fan and by mistake it goes into High Speed Reverse. This is the fan that was supposed to blow the Green Ghoul along a bubble-laden path, straight into the washing machine. Instead, the fan crashes into the ironing board and the kid and his dog are sitting on the ironing board and they fly out one window and then in through another, and they bump into the Green Ghoul, who steps onto a roller skate and slides all the way across the room to where he crashes into a suit of armor. The kids grab the Green Ghoul and unmask him to reveal Mr. Shipley, the owner of the “haunted” amusement park.
6. Man v Self
A man finds that whenever the NASDAQ 100 is going to have a positive day, he wakes in the morning with his left ring finger engorged with blood, so much blood that he can not bend it. The same thing happens whenever the American National Security Advisor appears in a television commercial or video. After much trial and error, he realizes that the only way he can cure this affliction (which, through a complicated series of introspective scenes, is revealed to be a metaphor for “modern life”) is by doing something that is explained in graphic detail with his daughter’s Little Mermaid action figures. Every night under the bedcovers, he plays and sings sea-songs softly. Then one night his wife and daughter surprise him!  It’s an intervention!  He breaks down and sobs, “I can’t help it. I hate myself.”  His wife and daughter want to put him into a treatment center, but the doctors there prod him with felt-tipped needles and stereo wire. Self-loathing and afraid, he flees and becomes notorious; he spends many years on the road having mild adventures. Toward the end of the story, he appears at his daughter’s college graduation. She recognizes him and kicks him in the shins. Stories like this can be exciting, if told well. Toward the end of one of these well-told stories, the man will spend some time alone in the woods or a hotel room “looking deep inside himself.”  If the book is particularly well done, the end of each chapter will feature bullet-pointed “lessons” that can be applied to your everyday life.
7. Man v God
Every day, the man whose wife makes lunch for him also drives him to the train station before taking their two sons to school. Some mornings the boys tell their father the dreams they had the night before. Sometimes the wife joins in. One particular morning, Son #1 says, “Daddy, last night I dreamed that you were being unfair to Biscuit. You said that Biscuit was taking up too much of your time and you hated walking him and feeding him every night. You said he stole the Sports page out of the paper every morning and told you the baseball scores when you took him for a walk. So you sold him to a dog-carnival without telling us.”   The man’s wife shares her dream from the night before: “I was at school taking pictures of the kids and there were some other camera crews there and they had very nice cameras – yes, ours is very nice too; I know you spent seven days of internet research choosing it – but then I lost ours and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I didn’t know how to tell you because I knew you’d be mad so I stayed at school. I stayed there all night.”  Son #2 then says to his father, “In my dream we went out to dinner at Chirpy’s like we did last week and you got really mad at the waiter like you did last week and this time in my dream you beat up the waiter but this time the waiter was Jesus so you beat up Jesus.”  The man gets out of the car at the train station. Listening to the dreams has left him shaken. He can barely climb onto the train when it arrives. His self-image is torn and jagged – he had considered himself a kind, sensitive man, but suddenly wonders if the world perceives him as an ogre. The train passes through a tunnel and he catches his reflection in the window and turns away. His hands are shaking. He is hypoglycemic and he is shaking. He grabs his lunch box, seeking something to calm his stomach, calm his bloodstream. He opens his lunchbox: Pudding!