A.L. Sadler examines in minute detail the origins of tea drinking and the rich and complex components of its ritualization.

Frustrated Southwest Airlines customers have been forced to wait in long lines for a second day as the airline tries to solve a technical problem with its electronic booking system. In the meantime, passengers are being told to prepare for delays. Katharine Jackson reports.

Surface Book 3 gets more RAM, Surface Go 2 gets a bigger display, and more.

Uber on Wednesday said it would lay off 3,700 full-time employees, or roughly 17 per cent of its head count.

Happy birthday Princess Charlotte!

*Spoilers ahead* Don't go any further if you haven't finished Normal People yet...

In a story about the challenges of communication, the characters in Normal People often find solace in reading

Players should be given yellow cards should they spit on the field when football resumes, says Fifa's medical committee chairman Michel D'Hooghe.

Malcolm Turnbull’s newly-released memoir The Bigger Picture gained some further publicity on Sunday courtesy of revelations that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s senior advisor Nico Louw had leaked a copy of the book to his almost 60 of his mates.

Malcolm Turnbull’s newly-released memoir The Bigger Picture gained some further publicity on Sunday courtesy of revelations that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s senior advisor Nico Louw had leaked a copy of the book to his almost 60 of his mates.

The Department advised the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that while it should not accept the class action settlement in The Authors Guild Inc. et al. v. Google Inc. as proposed due to concerns of the United States regarding class action, copyright and antitrust law, the parties should be encouraged to continue their productive discussions to address those concerns.

The Department said that despite the substantial progress reflected in the proposed amended settlement agreement in The Authors Guild Inc. et al. v. Google Inc., class certification, copyright and antitrust issues remain.

"It is important for the department to conclude its investigation and bring this action to maintain an open and competitive marketplace while we are in the early stages of this emerging technology–electronic books. Ensuring an open and competitive marketplace allows for innovation, which is good for businesses participating in that marketplace and is good for consumers," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Pozen.

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

Feb 18, 2020

Newly published books by MEI affiliate scholars. 

For a while I have been thinking of getting a Kindle. It saves trees and eliminates the impact of transportation and with Amazon's recycling scheme in place as well as the fairly long lifespan of the Kindle, the problem of e-waste seems less worrying

It's wood, it's small, it's resilient.

From South Korean design studio DesignJoo comes the Giro One, the piece that lets you put your own spin on your shelves, lighting, and side tables. The concept is simple: shelves can be added and their height adjusted by spinning them

Craving an outdoor getaway? These sites make booking a campsite as easy as possible.

Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Frank Del Rio said the troubled company has raised enough liquidity to get through potential 18 months of zero revenues.

Windows-maker updates top and cheapest PCs, and launches new headphones

Microsoft is launching a revamped line of its most powerful and cheapest Windows 10 PCs, the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2, as it adjusts to continue operations during the pandemic.

The new products, announced by blogpost rather than an event, are Microsoft’s premium computers competing directly with the likes of Apple and Dell, but with more novel designs.

Continue reading...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®

When is a literary contest not a literary contest?

When its purpose is to make money for the contest sponsor. Alternatively: when its purpose is to assemble a list of likely customers.

Take the online book competition (or book literary contest, or books competition--it doesn't seem to have an actual name) recently announced by Legaia Books, a publishing and marketing scam I've featured on this blog. Here's one of the solicitation emails that are going out:


Sound tempting? Here are all the reasons to kick this "contest" to the curb.

1. Legaia is a scam. This company--which claims a North Carolina address but really operates out of the Philippines--exists to rip off authors. That's really all the reason you need to give this contest a miss...but let's move on.

2. It's a scam within a scam. Legaia's contest has all the elements of a profiteering awards program--a different kind of scam, whose template Legaia is borrowing as a way to make some quick bucks and boost its customer list. Here are the markers:

• Solicitation. See the email above.
• A fat entry fee. You have to dig into the contest guidelines to find this: $40 for entries now, $70 for entries after May 11.
• Policies designed to maximize entries. Most profiteering awards programs offer dozens or scores of entry categories, in order to attract the largest number of entrants and thus the biggest pot of entry fees. Legaia's contest doesn't have categories--but it's "open to all aspiring and established authors", which, combined with what is doubtless a sizeable email solicitation campaign (Legaia is a prolific spammer), is basically the same thing.
• Mystery judging. The prestige of a literary competition is tied, in part, to the reputability of its judges. If the judges' identities aren't revealed, you have no way to know whether they have any credits or experience that would qualify them to be judges. They could be just the contest sponsor's own staff--or no one at all. Legaia's guidelines include multiple mentions of "judges" but, in true scam contest style, no names.
• Opportunities to spend more money. This is where entrants' email addresses--which are required for entry--come in handy; non-winners will almost certainly be solicited to buy Legaia's publishing packages and other services. (Contest guidelines also invite entrants without a book cover to "call us for a professional book cover.")
• Worthless prizes. Profiteering contest sponsors avoid cutting into entry fee income by offering "prizes" that cost them little or nothing to provide. Legaia is no exception. Given that its services are overpriced and substandard, a "Free Book Publication Coupon" is more like a lump of coal than a Christmas present. The "Seal Awards" aren't actual seals--just digital images. Winners are promised a "pitch program" that will expose them to "literary offices and film productions"--despite the fact that Legaia can't cite a single "literary office" or film studio that has ever picked up a book thanks to its (likely nonexistent) efforts. As for the "Marketing Platform worth $15,000"...Legaia offers only junk marketing ("marketing" that's cheap to provide, can be sold for giant markups, and is not effective for book promotion), so the actual worth is closer to zero. 

3. You have to work. In addition to submitting "your (a) manuscript, (b) synopsis, (c) book cover (front and full)" the contest guidelines indicate that there will be a public voting phase (see #7 and #8), which means you will have to bug your friends and family and annoy your social media followers with multiple vote-grubbing posts and announcements. Additionally, you must create a "pitch to the judges" which is "one of the criteria in the second phase of the contest as indicated in Rule 8". You have the option of making a video or using Legaia's "Free Pitch Template," whatever that is; the guidelines offer no guidance on length, content, or anything else.

4. Nobody has heard of it. The supposed benefits of a contest win or placement are often touted by sketchy contests or awards as one of the benefits of entering (not to mention a justification of a big entry fee). You'll be able to tag your book as an "award-winning book" and yourself as an "award-winning author". It'll impress agents and editors! It'll bring visibility to your work! It'll increase sales!

Most contests, however, don't have the prestige or name recognition to accomplish any of that. Agents and editors are well aware of how many dodgy contests are out there competing for writers' money; "I won Grand Prize in this contest you never heard of!" is unlikely to impress them. As for readers and book buyers, how much they care about award and contest wins is an open question--especially, again, where they've never heard of the award or contest. Is it worth $40 (or $70) to you to test that question?

5. A serious lack of literacy. Both the email solicitation reproduced above and the contest pages on the Legaia website are littered with grammatical and other errors (like its many brethren--see the sidebar--Legaia is based overseas). This really shouldn't need saying, but the sponsors of an English-language contest for English-language books should be able to demonstrate a good command of English.

Any one of these factors should be enough to at least cause you to give this contest the side-eye. Taken all together, they add up to a giant, screaming red flag.

My own feeling about literary contests is that they are mostly a waste of time (even if not of money). Scams and exploitation abound in this space (if you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how many posts I write about problem contests). Even where the contest is legit and doesn't have "gotchas" in its guidelines, those that can genuinely benefit your writing resume are a tiny minority. Again in my opinion, writers' time is better spent on publishing or submitting for publication.

That said...if you still are attracted by contests, there are resources on the Contests and Awards page of Writer Beware to help you research ones that won't rip you off. Also be sure to use the search box in the sidebar to search this blog for any contests I may have written about, and feel free to email me with questions.

13 movies and shows based on books to watch on Disney+ Hotstar this World Book Day for free
Many of the great ideas in films and television shows come from books and inspire producers, directors, and actors to create great cinematographic projects. There's nothing better than seeing your favorite book come to life on the screen. Yet there are many gems out there, that you probably didn't know were adaptations from great books/novels. This 'World Book Day' catch these popular movies and shows that has brought your favorite books to life on Disney+ Hotstar for free.

Movies:

• Maqbool

Based on William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', the movie is about Maqbool, who in his greed for power, murders his mentor, a fearsome don, kick-starting his countdown to doom.
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseerudin Shah

• Aisha

In this adaptation of Jane Austen's novel 'Emma', 'Aisha' thinks she is a perfect match-maker. Despite her neighbour Arjun's warning, she continues to interfere in others' lives at the cost of her own relationships.
Cast: Sonam Kapoor,Abhay Deol, Amrita Puri, Lisa Haydon, Ira Dubey.

• 2 states

Based on Chetan Bhagat's best seller novel '2 States', North and South India come together in this chholey-bhaturey-idli-dosa romance of Punjabi Krish Malhotra and Tamilian Ananya Swaminathan, who meet at the IIM campus.
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt. Amrita Singh,Revathi, Ronit Roy

• Angoor

Angoor is a Hindi comedy film directed by Gulzar,and starring Deven Verma, Sanjeev Kumar and Moushumi Chatterjee. Adapted from Shakespeare's 'The Comedy of Errors', the story is about two pairs of identical twins, Ashok and Bahadur, who are separated at birth and later meet in adulthood, causing confusion. While one of the pairs is honest and the other is wanted by the police.
Cast: Deven Verma, Sanjeev Kumar and Moushumi Chatterjee

• Shatranj Ke Khilari

Shatranj Ke Khiladi is a Hindi drama, directed by Satyajit Ray. Based on Munshi Premchand's short story by the same name, the historical drama is set against the backdrop of the British annexation of Avadh and is about two best friends who, in their obsession for the game of chess, abandon their families.
Cast: Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi and Amjad Khan

• Shala

Based on book written by Milind Bokil of the same name, Shala is a Marathi drama set in rural India of the 70's. The film is about 14-year-old Joshi who is in love with Shirodkar. His classmates Chitrya, Favdya, and Surya are facing a similar dilemma, seeking answers to the age-old question - What is love?
Cast : Anshuman Joshi, Ketaki Mategaonkar, Jitendra Joshi, Amruta Khanvilkar

• Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal

'Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal' is a Malayalam drama directed by P. Padmarajan. Sofia's stepfather fixes her marriage with his junior, also a drinking partner. When Sofia's mother accepts Solomon's proposal for Sofia, he assaults her. The movies is based on the 1986 Malayalam novel Nammukku Gramangalil Chennu Rapparkkam by K. K. Sudhakaran.
Cast: Mohanlal, Shari, Thilakan, Kaviyoor Ponamma

• Thoovanathumbikal

Based partly on P. Padmarajan's novel Udakappola, Thoovanathumbikal is a Malayalam romantic drama starring Mohanlal, Sumalatha and Parvathy. Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal) lives a dual life, one in town with his friends and the other in his village. He falls in love with two women, Clara (Sumalatha) and Radha (Parvathy), and thus begins his difficulty in deciding on a partner of the two.
Cast: Sumalatha, Mohanlal, Parvathy Jayaram

• Thanmatra

Drawn inspiration from Padmarajan's short story 'Orma', Thanmathra is a Malayalam family drama directed by Blessy. Ramesan Nair, an honest man, dreams of a happy life with his wife and a bright future for his children. When Ramesan is diagnosed with Familial Alzheimer's disease, the family is devastated, but tries to cope up with the trauma, insecurity and uncertainty.
Cast: Mohanlal, Meera Vasudevan, Arjun Lal

Shows:

• Yeh Hai Mohabbatein

Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, one of the most loved television shows, is based on the novel 'Custody' by author Manju Kapoor. The story of Raman and Ishita, brought together by destiny and their love for Ruhi, Raman's daughter from his ex-wife.
Cast: Divyanka Tripathi, Karan Patel, Ruhanika Dhawan

• Saraswatichandra

Produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali 'Saraswatichandra' is based on Govardhanram Tripathi's novel of the same name. In this classic tale of love and heartbreak, Saras and Kumud are soulmates who are repeatedly the joy of being together. Will Destiny bring them together?
Cast: Gautam Rode, Jennifer Winget, Shiny Doshi, Varun Kapoor

• Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil

Based on Manju Kapoor's book 'The Immigrant', Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil' is about Naina Batra and Raghav Mehra. Both are expats in a foreign country, abandoned by their loved ones. Soon, they become each other's strength.
Cast: Drishti Dhami, Arjun Bijlani, Additi Gupta, Surekha Sikri

• Malgudi Days

Malgudi Days is a Hindi family serial based on the works of R.K. Narayan. The heart-warming short stories take place in the fictitious town of South India, Malgudi, inhabited by timeless characters who go about their lives with a dash of humour and simplicity.
Cast: Master Majunath, Shankar Nag, Girish Karnad, Anant Nag, Deven Bhojan

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Palghar: A shocking incident of two Rajasthani women having been allegedly "sold off to recover dowry" has come to light on Monday in Virar town in Thane, officials said. Following sustained efforts by social activists, Virar Police on October 9 booked a dozen persons including a chartered accountant and a businessman, besides their family members and other associates, in the case, Investigating Officer Lakshmi Borkar told IANS.

According to the complaint, the two women -- both sisters in their 20s, hailing from Rajasthan -- were married on March 10, 2015 with two brothers, businessman Sanjay Raval and Varun Rawal, a CA -- both based in Virar, around 60 km from Mumbai.Six months after their wedding, the Ravals and their family members started harassing the sisters for dowry as the Sanjay and Varun wanted to buy a shop to launch a new business.

Somehow the victims' family managed to raise Rs 5,00,000 and handed it over to the Ravals, but later they demanded another Rs 4,00,000.The two daughters-in-law said it was not possible for their middle-class parents to raise such a huge amount again, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

The sisters were subjected to physical torture and mental trauma by their husbands and members of the Raval family. On August 30, the Raval family took the two women to a village in Rajasthan's Pindwara town of Sirohi distict and kept them in captivity. For 10 days, several men including some relatives came and physically abused the two sisters and then ordered them to go back to the Raval family in Virar.

They sent an unknown person to accompany the two sisters to Virar, but when the train stopped at Vasai, their escort seized their bags and barred them from getting off. This led to an altercation in full view of the co-passengers inside the train and the escort said they could not get off at Vasai but at Mira Road, in adjoining Thane district.

The escort was also heard shouting that he had "paid Rs 1,50,000 for the two women and now he would recover that amount fully before freeing them". Fortunately for the distraught sisters, some co-passengers intervened and allowed them to deboard at Vasai before the train departed. The sisters went back to their home in Suman Complex and narrated their sad plight to the neighbours.

A few neighbours accompanied the sisters to the police to lodge a complaint against the Raval family, but for nearly a month, the police reportedly dodged the issue. It was only after the neighbours and some local social activists approached the higher police authorities that the complaint was finally registered on October 9 naming 12 accused in the case. They include: the victims' husbands, Sanjay and Varun Raval, their father-in-law Mohanlal Raval, mother-in-law Leeladevi Raval, some uncles, aunts, a few relatives and other outsiders.

Borkar said an investigation was underway and no arrests have been made. Independent sources revealed that the two prime accused Raval brothers -- Sanjay and Varun -- have reportedly gone underground.The police have slapped serious charges against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to dowry demand, mental and physical torture, kidnapping, Borkar added.

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For the hungry reader, words have always been food for thought. That is why we are intrigued when Nirbhay Kanoria, who helms online literary magazine The Curious Reader along with Devanshi Jain, informs us of an event they're organising on a day dedicated to the intersection of food and literature. Edible Book Day is celebrated annually on April 1 — and no, it's not a joke considering it's also April Fools Day.

The agenda for the evening is simple. A dinner at Colaba's Miss T themed around Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace, a novel that centered around three families and three parts of the world — Burma, India and Malaya. "He is one of my favourite authors, and we wanted to pick a popular name. He shot to fame with this novel," Kanoria tells us, adding that Miss T was also an obvious choice, as their specialisation in Burmese cuisine will tie in well. Although it will take a few days for both parties to settle on a final menu, they have a clear idea of how they will incorporate the theme.

Nirbhay Kanoria

"Guests can expect a culinary journey through Burma, inspired by excerpts. We'll definitely be using ingredients traditionally associated with Burmese food such as pickled tea leaf or Shan tofu (from the Shan region)," Gauri Devidayal of Miss T reveals while Kanoria sheds light on the flow of events, "In the novel, the Burmese Royal Family is forced into exile and reach Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. So, you'll be seeing some Maharashtrian influences in the food as well. And we'll be giving a scroll to each guest telling them the underlying meaning behind each dish and providing details of the book."

The restaurant serves  Burmese cuisine that is central to Ghosh's novel

The event will only accommodate 12 people, and everyone is welcome — even if you aren't familiar with the novel. Kanoria says, "Of course, it will excite anyone who has read it but Burmese food fans will love it, too!"

Save the date

Last year, The Curious Reader organised a delivery campaign for the occasion

Edible Food Day is a global event celebrated on April first to commemorate the birthday of French gastronomer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755–1826), who wrote Physiologie du goût. People cook dishes that resemble the image of a book or its cover. Book-themed dinners are also organised.

ON April 1, 8.30 pm onwards
AT Miss T, 4, Mandlik Road, Apollo Bunder, Colaba.
LOG ON TO insider.in COST R3,500 (including a cocktail)

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Five persons have been booked in Maharashtra's Palghar district for kidnapping a newly married woman, holding her captive for almost two weeks and repeatedly raping her, police said on Monday.

An official said the 21-year-old victim's ordeal began on February 6 when a man posing as a policeman came to her house in Pragati Nagar in Nalasopara and asked her to accompany him to the police station. "The fake policeman told the victim that her husband had been arrested and she should come to the police station with some documents," he said. She was first taken in an accused's autorickshaw to Malad in Mumbai and held captive for eight days and then to Mira Road where she was locked up in an under-construction building till February 18, the official said.

"She was raped by two of the accused at both places. Three others, including a woman, abetted the crime. The victim was released from captivity on February 18," he said. The woman filed a complaint on February 23 and the five were booked on Sunday under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for rape and criminal intimidation, the official said. He said no arrests had been made so far and further probe was underway. 

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

To avoid crowding and minimise footfall at liquor stores, the West Bengal State Beverages Corporation (WBSBCL) has launched an eRetail portal for online booking and home delivery.

According to the website of the WBSBCL, any person, who is older or of 21 years of age, can register as a buyer on the portal for getting home delivery of liquor. "For ensuring social distancing and minimising footfall at retail outlets, WBSBCL has launched eRetail for online booking and home delivery of liquor," notification on the website read.

The interested persons can fill in their details, full name, mobile number, address, email, among others to register as a buyer and get liquor delivered at their doorsteps. Prior to this, the Chhattisgarh and Punjab governments too had allowed home delivery of liquor in their respective states with certain conditions.

Liquor stores around the country have been allowed to reopen by the Centre during phase three of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Long queues, with people flouting social distancing norms, were seen on liquor stores around the country as enthusiasts lined up to get their hands on their favourite drink.

With people at these outlets failing to follow social distancing norms, apprehensions were expressed regarding the spread of COVID-19.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Lockdown videos give us a new way to judge character

Zeitgold has raised a Series B round of $29.2 million (€27 million). Overall, the company has raised more than $54 million (€50 million). The company is building a software platform for small companies to automate bookkeeping as much as possible. Vintage Investment Partners is leading today’s round with existing investors Battery Ventures, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, […]

The days of the big product event are on hold for the foreseeable future. Until then, a big blog post will have to do. A day after announcing that Microsoft would be shifting focus away from dual-screen devices, Chief Product Officer Panos Panay took to the company’s Devices blog to show off a slew of […]

Erling Haaland scored twice - including a screamer for the winner - for the Bundesliga giants as they overcame PSG in the first-leg of the last-16 Champions League clash.

She's the former Biggest Loser trainer who has a host of nonfiction and children's books published under her name.  

Normal People is terrific, absolutely gorgeous, up there with the best TV dramas of recent years, like Patrick Melrose and My Brilliant Friend, but possibly not Belgravia

On Monday, the X Factor mogul, 60, unveiled the project at the annual Hachette Global Showcase, revealing the collaboration with Hachette will see a portion profits go to charity

In addition to Cruise and Lowe, the Francis Ford Coppola-directed motion picture featured a lineup of future stars, including Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio and the late Patrick Swayze.

He was called 'Lucifer in the flesh' by former House Speaker John Boehner last month. And Ted Cruz transformed into Satan himself last night... or at least he did on Saturday Night Live.

Zermatt’s historic Hotel Schweizerhof reopened in December 2018 following an intensive six-month upgrade – and the results are terrific

Our food critic breaks down his favourite cookery and food related books of 2019

Normal People is terrific, absolutely gorgeous, up there with the best TV dramas of recent years, like Patrick Melrose and My Brilliant Friend, but possibly not Belgravia

Biblical musical The Prince Of Egypt, opened at  London's Dominion Theatre last week winning high praise. Luke Brady discusses his first West End leading role as Moses.

Our pensions are changing - radically. Some say for better, others for worse. We say, make yourself as best informed as you can be with a copy of this super free guide.