Hennessy’s View

St. Louis, MO–I brushed the dust off my old journalism skills and dug to find this gem. Elite schools like Harvard demand entrance essays. (Schools like mine demand enthusiasm and good command of a cooler.)  So we’ve discovered Kaavya Viswanathan’s essay that got her into Harvard. (Kaavya Viswanathan is accused of having plagiarized large portions of her best-selling book which I won’t advertise here. See BostonConfidential, Crimson , and theFirstPost)

From Kaavya Viswanathan:

   If you really want to, like, hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born in New Jersey, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my immigrant parents were occupied before they had me, and all that Holden Caulfield kind of crap. But I’m going to go into that, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me. In the second place, my parents would have about two hemorhages apiece if I told anything quite personal about them . . .

   Actually, my childhood had its good point. It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. It was a time when I was both wise and foolish. It was a period of belief and of incredulity. Juxtaposed were darkness and light.
  Â

Kaavya’s Harvard handlers point out that any similarities between her essay and previously published works of literature are purely coincidental. Having said that, Kaavya’s Harvard application also states that her two favorite books are Catcher in the Rye and A Tale of Two Cities.

I’ll keep digging, but the girl seems pretty smart to me. . .Â

UPDATE.  Gotta love the tone of this fine blog. And sepia mutiny makes a point I wish I had:

Normally I would be skeptical until I heard more about this, but the Crimson has just broken it down to the point where you know how this is all going to end. Her literary career is over. If I were her I would think about falling back on medical school or something real quick.

I wonder if Little Brown will want its $500,000 advance back. I hope not, actually. Though she doesn’t deserve the money, the fools at L-B have proven unworthy as well.

Popularity: 4% [?]

No return to the blos would be complete with a visit to Beth’s Right Wing Conspiracy. He’s all over the new Zarqawi video, including a great quote not fit for the kids:

Hey Zarqawi, you bastard son of a retarded sow, Allah thinks you’re a wanker too.

Great stuff. The murderer is calling us Crusaders. My grade school’s sports teams were the Crusaders and my high school’s were the Cavaliers. So, thank you, Mr. Zarqawi, and may your personal road to hell be lined with rejoicing pigs being pleasured by Muslim virgins.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Where have all the Republicans gone? I quick blogging for a couple of months, and return to find the Dems about to retake Congress and impeach Bush. What the hell have you people been doing? I can’t turn my back for 15 minutes without the country going to hell in handbasket.Â

If anyone sees the President would you kindly remind him that his term does not end until January 20, 2009? I know he needed a rest after th ’04 election, but a year and a half is enough. Denny Hastert’s a good guy, but he can’t run the country AND the backstabbing, self-serving GOP caucus at the same time.

First, why did it take the President three years to realize that gasoline prices are very high? I’m glad he’s finally doing something, but it smells like an election year ploy. That’s how most people will see it. And many people will believe Nancy Pelosi, the airbag from Frisco, who says Republicans can’t fix oil problems because the GOP owns all the oil wells (or something like. Crooks and Liars actually paid attention to what she said.) Unfortunately, IMO, Nancy’s nonsense sounds solid to many Americans.

Look, Mr. President, we know you’ve got your hands full, and we know it’s not all your fault. Still, you haven’t been exactly visible on this. If your party loses Congress, you will be impeached and winfall profits taxes will return to drive the price of gas higher even as Canada surrenders to al Qaeda.

All I’m asking is that our elected GOP leaders get off their rears and start running the country and their party. This is embarrassing. And while we all love Tony Snow (Michelle Malkin), a great press secretary doesn’t equal a great job rating. Like it or not, ratings count in politics, George. Go out and get some.Â

But wait . . . Blogs for Bush found good news on consumer confidence

Popularity: 1% [?]