JK Rowlings refuses to give up manuscript to 7th Harry Potter book on flight.

[buttmunch]

American airport staff almost stopped Harry Potter author JK Rowling boarding a flight because she would not part with the manuscript for the final book.
Rowling was not prepared to stow her top secret notes for book number seven in her check-in baggage when she flew back from a book festival in August.

Eventually she was allowed to take them on the flight, bound in elastic bands.

Air passengers recently faced baggage restrictions following the discovery of an alleged plot to blow up airliners.

The writer said she would have considered sailing back to the UK if security officers had not relented.

Her seventh Harry Potter book is to be the last in the hugely popular series.

Handwritten notes

The author was returning from New York where she took part in a charity book reading with fellow authors Stephen King and John Irving.

She wrote on her website: "The heightened security restrictions on the airlines made the journey back from New York interesting, as I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven.

"A large part of it is handwritten and there was no copy of anything I had done while in the US.

"They let me take it on thankfully, bound up in elastic bands. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't - sailed home probably."

Rowling was recently named the celebrity world's ninth highest earner, making £41m in 2005 according to US business magazine Forbes.

Film adaptations

Worldwide sales of the Potter books are reported to have topped 300 million.

The first four film adaptations have helped make Rowling one of the UK's richest people, with an estimated personal fortune of £500m.

Filming has begun on the fifth instalment of the movie franchise, Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix.

The author also revealed she has yet to choose a title for the long-awaited conclusion to the boy wizard's adventures, and is choosing between two possibilities for the novel.

"I was quite happy with one of them until the other one struck me while I was taking a shower in New York," she wrote.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5344472.stm

You know, ever since these new rules went into effect, I've been wondering about the ban on books and magazines. What sort of threat do they pose? Paper cuts? Strike another blow against terrorism, eh?

[Goose]

Originally Posted by buttmunch

You know, ever since these new rules went into effect, I've been wondering about the ban on books and magazines. What sort of threat do they pose? Paper cuts? Strike another blow against terrorism, eh?

Wait, they've banned books and magazines as carry on items too???

[buttmunch]

That's what I heard. And I can't, for the life of me, imagine why. I'm just wondering what I'll do next time I fly with the kids. I mean, there is only so much you can do to entertain kids without books, playdoh, etc. Maybe if I offer to take a bite of the book they'll let it on?

***edit: I've checked and apparently they've eased restrictions and books are now allowed on. Does anyone else get the feeling we're being ruled by fear?

[Goose]

Well at least they're allowed back on...But this is just a wee bit out of control. It's starting to look like we're being ruled by the people that own all of the shops inside the airports. Can't take anything through security, so you have to buy everything once you're past the security check.

[twitchy]

The books and magazines ban is for travel between the US and the UK but not for other countries. Rules are different depending on destination and origin. I've just been looking up the list for travelling to the US ( http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/english/travel_voyage/list.shtml ) because Mr. Twitchy is being sent there next week and you can take whips but no gel padded bras! You can take a butane powered curling iron but you can't take toothpaste. Insane. Next they'll want to have no carry on luggage at all and have everyone strip naked and put on a disposable jumpsuit at the gate.

[buttmunch]

Ok, so this leads to my original question: what exactly would a terrorist do with a book or magazine? Threaten everyone onboard with paper cuts?

[sputnik]

the rules are retarded, plain and simple. and people are mistaken if they think they will make air travel safer. it just makes it more of a pain in the ass.
think about it: you're still more likely to die in a car crash or get run over by a car than you are in a terrorist attack in the air. of all the things to be scared about, this isn't one of them. consider the number of people that travel by air every day, and how many die, and it is still the safest way to travel.

[Bellatheball]

I love JKR. Love her and I love my Harry Potter. Yes, I am a nerd.

[burnt_toast]

Originally Posted by Bellatheball

I love JKR. Love her and I love my Harry Potter. Yes, I am a nerd.

Me too!

[mella]

We're not creative enough to become terrorists

[twitchy]

Originally Posted by buttmunch

Ok, so this leads to my original question: what exactly would a terrorist do with a book or magazine? Threaten everyone onboard with paper cuts?

Paper cuts was my first idea too! The only explanation for the book and magazine ban that I have heard was to ban anything that "could be used as a container". Not that that makes any sense.

[darksithbunny]

I talked to my stepdad who worked with explosive ordinance and he said you would be very surprised what you could do with a magazine or book.

Freaky. Glad I don't have to fly anywhere anytime soon.

[buttmunch]

Couldn't you do the same with tissue, your ticket, your passport, etc?

[Lil]

The restrictions are a right royal pain in the arse. I go to Brussels several times a month for work, just for the day so I only travel with hand luggage and at the moment I can't even take a lipstick or a lipsalve unless I buy it in duty free. Don't they know I can frighten small children if I don't have my face on?

But coming back out of Brussels you can take anything you like on board. And it's the exact same plane flown by the same pilots with the same cabin crew back into the same airport.

[bella]

I didn't find a ban on books at all when I flew back from the US to England a couple of weeks ago. I had two books and three magazines on me and there weren't taken away from me or even questionned. Strange.