Fantastic News - University of Virginia reinstates Teresa Sullivan as its President

University of Virginia Reinstates Ousted President - NYTimes

I have a niece attending UV, so I couldn't help but be interested in the machinations behind the recent firing of its beloved president, Teresa Sullivan. The inept firing will be the stuff of case studies for years to come. We glorify the business model above all else at our own expense. Universities are collaborative enterprises and not top down, take it or leave it, it's all about the bottom line, businesses.

I love that there was so much push back; I think it was a wise decision to reinstate her.  


On the business of books...in the current New Yorker - The Paper Trail by Ken Auletta

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The New Yorker (June 25, 2012 - page 36) has an article, The Paper Trail, written by Ken Auletta, on the current struggles facing the publishing industry in the wake of the suit filed by the Justice Department. The suit alleges price fixing on the part of five publishers and Apple in their attempt to maintain market share of e-books in their dealings with Amazon. Three of the five publishers have already settled, admitting no wrongdoing, leaving Apple and two publishers to battle it out. What's at stake, as the publishers see it, is their very existence as cultural providers. The argument goes that without the ability to establish and maintain base prices on books, the established order will crumble. Publishers will not be able to afford to offer advances to authors and certain books will not be written. We will all suffer in ways not yet fully understood. Discoverability, a term applied to a new author's chances of being seen and heard in the din of onrushing texts, is also at stake without a thriving bookstore environment. They do have a point. 

Elisabeth Sifton dilineates the multi-layered problems facing the book world with her insightful essay in The Nation, back in June of 2009. It's even more relevant today:

The Long Goodbye? The Book Business and its Woes

Amazon, and now the Justice Department, see things differently. I've heard many business terms applied here: creative destruction; market efficiencies; the publishing world as late adopters...the publishing world had been operating on a century old model and Amazon has, in short order, tossed that model overboard. More importantly, the consumers are trending toward e-books and e-readers. The Justice Department's concern is for the consumer. Amazon is willing to take a loss on a book for its own reasons, but the consumer wins with the lower price point. Any attempt by other players to collude to fix prices is illegal.

These are interesting times. It looks to be an uphill battle for Apple and the publishers. 

 

Paper Trail - Did publishers and Apple collude against Amazon? by Ken Auletta, The New Yorker

 

The New Yorker Out Loud - podcast - the discussion on e-books starts at the 7:00 minute mark -  "Are cheap e-books bad for readers?:  Ken Auletta and Leo Carey talk to Sasha Weiss about the dramatic effect of e-books on book publishers."  


The Vatican and its Women Problem

 

The nuns have my full support.

 

LCWR: Vatican meeting 'difficult,' with 'differing perspectives' - National Catholic Reporter

 

The Last Word - 'Nuns on the Bus' take on Ryan budget

 

 

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The NYTimes - The Rottwieler's Rottweiler - Bill Keller

 

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Follow the Nuns on the Bus Tour: from BillMoyers.com

Green Tree Frog

Green Tree Frogs are about 1 - 1.5 inches long. This guy was posing on an extension cord on my front porch in Florida.

NASA / SDO's Ultra-high Def View of 2012 Venus Transit

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What I'm listening to...Len Edgerly's Kindle Chronicles

I've been following The Kindle Chronicles for some time now. Len Edgerly delivers a weekly podcast that is filled with helpful information on the Kindle, in particular, and on all things related to the e-book world. What I find winning is his attitude of discovery. He's excited about the changes Amazon has brought to the publishing world, and he'll tell you why, though he tempers that excitement with his consideration of the other side of the divide. 

He has a gadget lover's enthusiasm for the Kindle, Nook, and i-Pad; he tries all of them out and gives you their pluses and minuses. I'm a gadget lover myself, so I can never get enough information. He is aware of the hot topics of the day: Digital Rights Management; formating for the e-book; what's at stake between traditional publishing and the electronic tidal wave that Amazon helped deliver. He interviews people in the industry and when you're done listening, you've learned something. He's a great guide. 

I highly recommend his podcast!