Jane Austen was not the elegant writer we thought she was….

Jane Austin (1775-1817) is renowned for her precise, exquisite prose. She completed six novels in her lifetime, two (Northanger Abbey and Persuasion) of which were published posthumously. She is widely celebrated as a supreme stylist - a writer of perfectly polished sentences. According to Austen's brother Henry: "everything came finished from her pen."

But according to research from Oxford University English professor Kathryn Sutherland, this seems to be a myth. Professor Sutherland, an Austen authority, studied Austin’s unpublished manuscripts that gave her "a more intimate appreciation" of the author's talents.

The manuscripts reveal that Austen was an experimental and innovative writer, constantly trying new things. But the 1,100 handwritten pages of unpublished work also show that she broke most of the rules for writing good English. "In particular, the high degree of polished punctuation and epigrammatic style we see in 'Emma' and 'Persuasion' is simply not there," Sutherland said.

Letters from Austen's publisher reveal that editor William Gifford was heavily involved in editing Austen’s work.

Gifford was a poet and critic in his own right. He worked for Austen’s second publisher, John Murray. Gifford did not edit earlier books such as "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice," that are much closer to Austen's manuscript style.

Jane Austen was obviously not great at spelling or correct use of punctuation. One of her grammatical errors was the inability to master the ‘i before e’ rule and her works were littered with distant ‘veiws’ and characters who ‘recieve’ guests. She also wrote in a ‘regional accent’: ‘tomatoes’ as ‘tomatas’ and ‘arraroot’ for ‘arrowroot’.

Austen's handwritten manuscripts can be found at http://www.janeausten.ac.uk.

The reality star that snagged a book deal

Many writers are struggling to get their novel published. Especially landing a deal with one of the major publishers is not easy – unless you are a uncouth reality starlet.

“Jersey Shore” is one of the many reality shows of the “watching train wreck” variety. One of its starlets is a short, chubby, troll-like creature that goes by the nickname “Snooki”. The snookster admitted that she only read two books in her whole life: Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" and Nicholas Sparks' "Dear John."

(Don’t let the picture fool you, it’s unlikely she is really reading "The 48 Laws of Power")

This poses the question what she was at school when the teacher introduced the class to American literature. (Pity Mark Twain is not around to comment) .

Simon and Schuster's Gallery Books is going to publish her work of fiction “A Shore Thing”. Well, that’s good news for her ghost writer/editor – they have their work cut out. According to a press release, the book will revolve around “a girl looking for love on the boardwalk (one full of big hair, dark tans, and fights galore).” Yawn.

Miss Snooki is not the first reality celeb to pen a book. Lauren Conrad appeared "The Hills" and "Laguna Beach", who penned two successful novels that made it to the New York Times Best-Sellers list.

The Snook-novel will hit stores in January 2011. The intriguing question: who will buy and read it? How many bookworms watch reality shows? My prediction? It will end up heavily discounted at Costco.

O tempora! O mores!

France and the rise of the e-book

France has an interesting law that bars heavy discounting on books. The law passed in 1981, and prohibits the sale of books for less than 5% below the cover price. A publisher typically offers bookstores a profit margin of between 30% and 40%. The idea behind it is that shops will be able to compete with large chains. Booksellers now hope that it will also protect them from a new threat: the electronic book.

In the US, independent bookstores and small publishers are subjected to the market forces. The UK is the only large European economy that allows retailers to discount books freely, according to the Federation of European Publishers.

"France has long believed that a book is not just business," said lawmaker Hervé Gaymard, who has published research on France's fixed book prices. "It's a cultural identity."

But small French book businesses fear a repeat of the price war that erupted when e-books arrived in the U.S. for reading on computers, e-readers like Amazon's Kindle and, eventually, tablets like Apple's iPad. Trying to compete with e-books, big retailers like Wal-Mart and Target allowed shoppers to buy printed books at steep discounts. Prices at smaller bookstores, already struggling against big chains, were massively undercut. Publishers, meanwhile, worried that the low prices undervalued their books.

French Senator Jacques Legendre has proposed a new law that would allow publishers to set the retail price of e-books. His bill will be debated in Parliament next month. It will face criticism, since it’s difficult to determine what regulations apply to e-books. France's competition authority therefore recommends waiting two years to see how the market for e-books will evolve before implementing any laws.

E-books are fastest growing, but are still only less than 1% of the $2.2 billion book market in France (according to French Booksellers Union). Electronic readers are also not heavily promoted yet.

Hachette Livre, France's biggest publishing house, supports Mr. Legendre's proposed law - quite likely in an effort to have control of the pricing of their books and keeping a vast network of bookstores in operation is in their interest. Hachette Livre, a unit of Lagardère SCA, recently signed a deal to sell about 8,000 French books through Apple's store for e-books. Amazon doesn't yet sell French e-books.

French lawmaker Mr. Gaymard is proposing another law that would reduce the value-added tax on e-books. France currently taxes e-books at 19.6%, like most other consumer products, while printed works are taxed 5.5%. This proposal would partly offset the effects of Mr. Legendre's anti-discounting law.

Booksellers are afraid that an anti-discounting law isn't going to save them. Some independent bookstores are banding together to create their own website, 1001Libraires.com, which is scheduled to start selling printed books and e-books at the end of next month.

No matter what, France will have to face the rise of the e-book.

Paris Hilton’s legal pickle becomes a public relations disaster

It all started when Paris Hilton’s black Cadillac Escalade was stopped by a motorcycle cop due to what the cop said was a strong marijuana smell.

The driver of the car was Paris Hilton's (now ex-)boyfriend Cy Waits. Paris left the scene (not a smart move), leaving behind a Chanel purse that held cocaine, turning it into a felony possession and fled to the Wynn Resort where she was arrested.

When the heiress was waiting in the Wynn Hotel security holding room for a female officer to arrive to take her to the bathroom, she said that she needed to put some lip balm on.

The officer handed her the purse from the table. As she began to open it, the officer saw a small bundle of what he believed to be cocaine in a clear baggy begin to fall from the purse and into his hand. The officer then took the purse away from Hilton and waited for backup to arrive before searching it with another officer as a witness.

After discovering the cocaine, the officer placed Hilton under arrest. Following her arrest, the officer claimed Hilton told him the purse was not hers and "she had borrowed it from a friend."
But our Paris had posted a picture of the very similar bag on Twitter, happily tweeting, "Love My New Chanel Purse I Got Today :)." Oops!

Furthermore, when asked about the cocaine, Party Barbie told LVMPD finest in a sublime dumb blond moment, that she thought the cocaine that they had found was "gum."

The Wynn was not amused and has distanced itself from the clueless heiress. Wynn spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne told the Associated Press that Hilton (handbag included) and her boyfriends are banned from entering or staying at the Wynn Resort Hotels in Las Vegas. Paris' then-boyfriend, Cy Waits has been "separated" (nice word for being fired on the spot) from his job as managing partner of the Tryst Nightclub at Wynn and XS The Nightclub at Encore.

Quite correctly so - Waits worked as a nightclub executive and Nevada gaming license requirements are very strict on the presence of drugs with casino honchos.

Party girl Paris will always have a roof over her hair weaved-head in Sin City - Las Vegas Hilton spokesman Ken Ciancimino told People: "She has been a guest here many, many times and we would always welcome her back. The history between Paris and this property is long, indeed... we here at the Hilton certainly wish Paris the best and hope that she gets through any and all of her difficult times."

She could face up to four years in a Nevada prison if convicted of the felony charge of possessing 0.8 grams of "powder cocaine", providing prosecutors can prove that it was Hilton's purse and that the marijuana smell came from her vehicle. If not, she would be sentenced to a diversion program.

No matter how it will work out for Ms. H, her pay-to-party days in Las Vegas are over. In Nevada, liquor licenses are closely watched by gambling regulators. Recently, the Gaming Control Board shut down a Las Vegas nightclub because of several infractions, including drugs allegedly being used on the premises.

In the case of P.H., what happens in Las Vegas, stays in cyberspace….

(image courtesy of lastreetsblog)

Marrying up and cheating down

According to a Pew Foundation report, more women today are marrying men with less education and less income than they themselves have. The New York Times article on the Pew report reads like a trend piece, which is quite disappointing. The women's blog Jezebel also found the article same old-same old "the single, high earning professional female who can't find a man."

But ladies, be careful what you wish for – men who marry up have a tendency to cheat down. Just look at Tiger Woods, who married a Swedish model and cheated with a slew of quite unattractive women who you can not take home to meet Mom. The most outspoken one of the gaggle, Joslyn James aka Veronica Siwik-Daniels is an adult movie actress.

And then there is Jesse James who shares his name with a famous outlaw and his body with a weird chick. This bike builder married up when he got hitched with Sandra Bullock. His paramour is a heavily tattooed stripper, who happily announced that she conducted the affair out of boredom. Funny, most of us read, watch TV, rent a movie or phone a friend when we are bored (or write a blog!). But then, what can one expect from a person that poses in Nazi gear and has the initials WP (White Power) tattooed on the back of the legs. Well, it fits in nicely with JJ’s own pic as shown on the cover of Us Weekly. BTW, whoever dubbed that chick “bombshell” McGee needs glasses (and better taste in women)

The trend of cheating down is not limited to the US only. In Sweden, Princess Madeleine (not exactly an eyesore) was cheated on by her lawyer fiancé Jonas Bergstrom. His one-night stand was an average looking student who obviously needs to visit her dentist for some serious dental work.

To complete the circle, let’s look at David Boreanaz of “Angel” and “Bones” fame. He is married to Playboy model Jaime Bergman for almost nine years and the couple has two kids. His mistresses included Rachel Uchitel, who also bedded Tiger Woods. Ah, the mind boggles!

Personally, I don’t get it. If these guys want to cheat, go to Las Vegas. We all know that what happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas. The easiest and honorable way, of course, is to stay faithful.

But in all this mess, one person is laughing all the way to the bank - Gloria Allred, who represents several mistresses of Woods and Boreanaz. Mmm, I obviously chose the wrong specialty in law school……

Salinger 'Catcher' Case Returned to Federal Judge by US Appeals Court

J.D. Salinger published “Catcher in the Rye” in 1951. The coming-of-age novel was on the New York Times' best-seller list for more than seven months and has sold more than 35 million copies. Salinger, who died in January at 91, hadn't published since 1965.

Author Fredrik Colting penned under the name John David California the novel “60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye”. It was published last year in England by Windupbird Publishing Ltd.

In July 2009, U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts blocked Colting and is publisher from publishing the novel. The injunction prevented the book's scheduled U.S. release in September 2009, court papers state.

The plaintiffs in the case are Colleen Salinger, the author's widow, and Matthew Salinger, his son. Salinger claimed in the suit that there are "extensive similarities" between "Catcher" and "60 Years Later." Colting's novel features a 76-year-old character similar to Holden Caulfield, the fictional narrator of "Catcher," who meets the 90-year-old author who created him, according to court papers. He "never authorized any new narrative involving Holden or any work derivative of 'Catcher,'" according to court filings.

In appeal, a U.S. appeals court panel ordered federal judge Batts to revisit the legal basis for her decision. Sending the case back to her, the judges said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in EBay Inc.'s patent-infringement case against MercExchange LLC was the standard to be used.

The court in the Ebay case ruled, that a plaintiff had to show the likelihood of irreparable harm to get an injunction, not just the probability of succeeding on the question of infringement.

"Although we conclude that the district court properly determined that Salinger has a likelihood of success on the merits, we vacate the district court's order," Judges Guido Calabresi, Jose Alberto Cabranes and Peter Hall said in a filing in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. "EBay applies with equal force to preliminary injunctions that are issued for alleged copyright infringement," the court said.

Salinger’s lawyer, Marcia Beth Paul of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, reacted by stating: “We are heartened that the appellate court agrees that Mr. Salinger's literary trust is likely to prevail on the merits of his claim and that this book infringes his copyright. The damage that will be caused by publication of this unauthorized sequel cannot be made whole by money.”

Edward Rosenthal of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC, representing Colting, said that he is confident that when the district court applies the legal standard required by the appeals court, the book will be permitted to be published.

The appeals case is Salinger v. Colting, Windupbird Publishing Ltd., 09-2878, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Manhattan).

The lower-court case is Salinger v. Colting, 09- 5095, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

The front fell off – the viral power of satire

My friend Sandra of ITPR sent me a hilarious clip of an Australian “Saturday Night Live” like Australian show. The clip is remarkable in various ways. For one, it’s brilliant, resembling Monty Python sketches. For another, it shows the worldwide exposure a clip gets once it goes viral.

The sketch is a mock interview between comedians John Clarke and Bryan Dawe.
It concerns an off-shore oil spill in 1991, when the Greek tanker Kirki lost its bow off the coast of Western Australia (WA). During the incident and the subsequent tow of the tanker to a safe haven some 17,280 tons of light crude oil was lost.

Clarke portrays Minister for Shipping Bob Collins, and makes repeated references to the ship whose "front fell off."

The sad thing is, that due to the way politicians worldwide handle crises like these, many thought that it was the real deal.

Still, there are some lessons we can learn from this interview.

1. Tankers are not made from cardboard, paper or rubber, and are not held together with string or Sellotape. No news if duct tape could do the trick though or some serious stapling.
   
2. There is something called “beyond the environment”. Before you pooh-pooh this, it’s a clever legal concept. Just think about it: how can you be liable or being sued if you operate in the fifth dimension? Just boldly go where no Greenpeace ship has gone before, I say!
   
3. For all you environmental warriors: “ocean+fish+birds” does not equal “environment” when crude oil is added. Therefore, no protection is needed; just ask Sarah Palin if you don’t believe me. Hurray for off-shore drilling!
   
4. A tanker has a crew of at least one person. If such a crew is French, this person will be a chef, and when Greek, he will be obviously clueless (re. Kirki).
   
5. There is chance of 1 in a million that a wave hits a ship at sea. That must reassure all you landlubbers!