Publishers at their worst

My friend Lorena just sent me this link about Jane Austen from the BBC: Austen 'too ugly' for book cover

As if all the product marketing and related issues with anorexic celebrities and children with eating disorders wasn't enough, we now have to turn our gaze back a couple of centuries to judge Jane Austen's looks based on a few portraits we have? You never know, that night-cap might have been the sexiest thing ever in her day!

Were they really concerned that there aren't Austen fans out there who would buy this book regardless of the cover? Or that only Austen fans would be able to stand it, and everyone else would shrink in horror and run screaming from the bookstores?

Do we talk about whether George Washington was handsome, or "presidential," or if we use Joe Biden's terms, clean?

I ask only because I'm not sure whether to be outraged in general or only as a feminist.

Extended Hours May Be in Our Future

Extending the hours at Holland & Terrell may come to pass in the near future. Billy Gordon and ASWSU worked hard on this issue and they were pushing for a referendum for a student fee. The central administration is concerned about the number of student fees and indicated they would fund extended hours in some way. I have no idea yet what will come of this, but it sure looks like it could really happen this time. Stay tuned!