Contest Trickery

I have a problem with people who don’t conduct themselves honestly. I just don’t like them, because I don’t know that I can trust them. I have an even larger problem with companies who seem to have the same problem.

Last week, I complained about Six Apart and their handling of the Movable Type developer’s contest. I’m still feeling miffed, and would have felt much better about it had they announced the change in deadline a whole lot earlier than they did.

So I’m reading the paper today to catch up, and I find that the Charlotte Observer announced the winner of their Harry Potter contest. I don’t especially care that a 14 year old won (in fact, it’s great for him), and I really didn’t want the prize they were offering anyway, but I don’t understand how they can just make up answers.

Specifically, they ask how many brooms Harry Potter used in his first three years. According to the paper, he used two. By my count, he used at least 4, and perhaps more (though there is no evidence to support an exact number higher than 4): One in the first flying lesson. The Nimbus 2000. The Firebolt. And probably at least one other broom.

From Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in “The Marauder’s Map” (chapter 10): “Wood became repossessed of his manic energy , and worked his team as hard as ever in the the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December”. As Harry is on the team, in order to have worked out, he would have required at least one broom. The Firebolt didn’t arrive until Chapter 11 and the Nimbus 2000 had already shattered.

Technically, the broom used in practice could have been the same used in the first flying lesson, and thus he really used 3, but that seems unlikely, as the flying lesson brooms and the quidditch practice brooms are more than likely separate and distinct, and even if not, it’s not very probable that Harry just happened to grab the same one. But even if the answer was 3, it’s most definitely not 2.

I also seem to recall that Sirius Black spent 11 years at Azkaban (he was convicted 12 years prior, however), but I can’t seem to pull up supporting evidence from the book, so I’ll let that one slide.