JKR's "Divide by three" comment

[Karen Barker]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "amdorn" <amdorn at h...> wrote:
> 
> I have a question for the group at large.  It seems very "off-
> topic."  I was hoping someone might be able to give a bit of 
insight 
> or theory to the meaning behind JKR's comment from her website.  
In 
> the Rubbish Bin section JKR talks about getting government 
approval 
> for an addition to her home.  Which would supposedly give her a 
> mansion with fifteen bedrooms.  My question pertains to her 
comment 
> at the bottom of this page. . . . 
> 
> "Actually, it now occurs to me that 'divide-by-three' is a good 
rule 
> to apply to a lot of 'news' stories."
> 
> This comment struck me as funny today. What news would she be 
talking 
> about?  There have been a lot of superfluous news pieces but I 
don't 
> recall any that deal with something that is a multiple of three or 
> that could be divided by three.  Why is there special emphasis on 
the 
> word news?  Can anyone help me with this?
> 
> Amdorn

Hi

What JKR was referring to was that the Press had reported that she 
was extending her home to become a 15 bedroom mansion, whereas what 
she actually ended up with was a 5 bedroom house.  Hence the divide 
by 3.  She probably also intended a slight dig about the amount of 
money they report that she earns too!  I don't think the divide by 3 
comment was anything more important than that.

Karen