A few links.

• 800-word Harry Potter prequel = $48,858 = about $60 a word
• More on Tom Lefroy.
• The James Patterson empire expands.  What's next, a breakfast cereal?
• This quote is an excellent example of why everyone I knew in Harvard Square had a bad attitude about Harvard University:

"You know, we're Harvard. We're like the most prominent national institution. And I think we should be entitled to … we should be able to get anyone. And in my opinion, we're settling here. "

Comments

[Diana]

Of course I would have answered: "Are you 'like' the most prominent national institution? Or are you the most prominent...?"

I personally don't have a problem with using 'like' in conversation, but it sticks out more when one is attempting to sound like a self-important pompous ass.

[Brian F.]

Why not a breakfast cereal? He's already got his own brand of high colonics on the front tables of every chain bookseller across the country.

[Cara]

To be fair, I know a ton of Harvard students who are very down-to-earth and way less obnoxious than the Emerson students I matriculated with across the river.

And I've also seen many non-Harvard students in Harvard Square be really irritating. You know, they go into 'Harvard bars' and deliberately try to piss people off so they can call them snobby, when really the other patrons are only glaring at them because they're drumming on the bar so hard that they're spilling your beer all over the place.

Ugh, but the "like" thing. There were just a couple recent MIT grads in here talking about the commencement address, given by a Nobel Peace Prize winner. It was, "like, full of inspirational stuff."

I would like to know why everyone in Harvard Square insists on congregating right in front of the bloody entrance to the T station.

[Cara]

To be fair, I know a ton of Harvard students who are very down-to-earth and way less obnoxious than the Emerson students I matriculated with across the river.

And I've also seen many non-Harvard students in Harvard Square be really irritating. You know, they go into 'Harvard bars' and deliberately try to piss people off so they can call them snobby, when really the other patrons are only glaring at them because they're drumming on the bar so hard that they're spilling your beer all over the place.

Ugh, but the "like" thing. There were just a couple recent MIT grads in here talking about the commencement address, given by a Nobel Peace Prize winner. It was, "like, full of inspirational stuff."

I would like to know why everyone in Harvard Square insists on congregating right in front of the bloody entrance to the T station.

[Leila]

Oh, of course. Back in Boston (and still!) I knew plenty of fantastic people who went to Harvard (undergrad and grad) -- obviously the jackasses are in the minority. It's just that the jackasses are SO VERY jackass-y!

The part of the quote that really got me was the 'entitled' bit.

[Cara]

Oh, yeah, they're their own special category of 'jack-ass.'
Luckily, they're easily recognizable by wearing at least two items of clothing/accessories that say 'Harvard.'

[Naomi]

I may be biased, since I'm a student at MIT (where we call Harvard "that other school"), but some of the comments in the article really pissed me off. I mean, if they think J.K. Rowling's not good enough for them, it would at least be common politeness not to say so. You'd never catch someone being so disrespectful if a famous scientist or politician had given the address--or, for that matter, an author who writes for adults. I hate the elitist attitude that because she's a children's book writer, she's somehow unworthy. Considering all the fuss about getting children to read, children's book writers should get a lot more respect.

[Leila]

A friend of mine from high school applied to Harvard just for kicks, got in, and then turned them down -- to go to MIT.

The children's book comment really ticked me off, too.

[cuileann]

Yeah, that remark made me laugh...