$62.50 PER WORD "A short Harry Potter prequel written by JK Rowling has been sold at auction for £25,000 following a bidding frenzy. The 800-word story was sold at a charity auction in central London. The prequel comes almost a year after the last book in the boy wizard series, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, hit shelves. The author said: 'I had great fun writing the card and I'm absolutely delighted that it has raised £25,000 for two such worthy causes.'"

• "He died for our sins; that's how awesome he is!" [DListed]

• Justin Timberlake has given $100,000 to a charity that supports music education. Hopefully Justin himself will benefit from the donation and learn a thing or two. [PS]

• JK Rowling used to be tremendously depressed and unable to conjure a happiness spell. [INO]

• Gwyneth Paltrow has been appointed as ambassador of the Save the Children charity, despite wickedly naming her kids Apple and Moses. [ICYDK]

• Heidi Klum, mother of three, is still allowing people to strip her down and paint her naked body. [HT]

• "4,000 Dead in Iraq: A Visual Reminder" [SH]

In an effort to bolster the ever-assailed decorum of the Internet, Mollygood looks to poetry with Someone Haiku. Each day – using 17 syllables or less – you’re given the opportunity to wax poetic about some piece of flotsam or jetsam that’s washed up on the shores of Mollygood. Hopefully this Zen practice will not only bathe you in self-discovery, but also bring a touch of Eastern class to a global network of information that’s devolved into nothing more than tit websites and provocative MySpace pictures.

Today's Someone Haiku winner is Sugar Magnolia:

Never saw the first.
Can someone please explain how
his back got broken?

To be perfectly honest, that haiku left a lot to be desired, but it was the best of the few that were not self-referential. Good effort, though.

New one after the jump.

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