Liz Bennet vlogs

It conjures images of young ladies in unflatteringly high-waisted full-length dresses, drawn out conversations through long dances, and the handsome face of a certain Mr Darcy. Committed fans can debate for hours over the superiority of either the BBC or the Keira Knightley adaptation but in either case the location is set resolutely in the English countryside in the 1800s. Present day America seems worlds away from those green and pleasant lands, but that is exactly where Lizzie and her sisters have been translocated to in a new adaptation of the classic work.

But for all its novelty, the extra social interaction is merely the icing; the videos themselves are the quadruple-layered chocolate cake. The scripts and actors are unbelievably funny. Whoever thought of using ‘costume theatre’ to present characters who can’t be on screen was a genius. Personal highlights include the videos where Lizzie portrays her pushy Southern mother and the venture capitalist Catherine de Bourgh (who has a sickly pet dog called Annie Kins).

The original story has clearly been somewhat updated to fit its new context. No one really elopes any more and who writes letters in an emergency? Charlotte’s marriage to Mr Collins in the book is little more than a business transaction, and that is exactly what it’s been updated to in the LBD.Comprehensive Wi-Fi and RFID tag by Aeroscout to accurately locate and track any asset or person. The show is currently reaching the end of the Pemberley arc and from the looks of Lizzie’s Twitter feed it appears that her phone has ominously broken.

Details like these make this adaptation seem as though it has a life of its own. Lizzie’s story is happening in real time (new videos every Monday and Thursday) just as any other celebrity you may follow online. Watching the events unfold and speculating on how the story will be updated is an absolute delight – I’ve never retrospectively appreciated a novel to such a great extent.

The series was co-created by Bernie Su and Hank Green, with a creative dream team experienced in ‘new media’. Hank and his brother, John Green, seem to be the benevolent godfathers of YouTube, filming and creating channels from Vlogbrothers and Crash Course to Sci Show and The Brain Scoop – all worth checking out if your essay deadline is imminent.Other companies want a piece of that iPhone headset action Hank Green commented on the LBD saying: “It’s very unusual; there are no proven successes in this format, so it’s really a risk.”

But it’s undoubtedly a risk that has paid off: with over 18 million total views, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries has clearly captured the imaginations of its loyal subscribers.We've got a plastic card to suit you.

Ashley Clements, the brilliantly sardonic Lizzie, pokes fun at herself as well as everyone else. She and the rest of the talented cast invigorate a show that could potentially have been static and monotonous.

It is well worth investing procrastination time into this show, and if you’re (un)lucky enough to be writing an essay on Austen then this show certainly counts towards ‘further research’ – just make sure you don’t describe Pride and Prejudice as “adorbs”.

The Harper government is planning to announce its long-awaited Office of Religious Freedom in an event at a Toronto-area mosque next Tuesday.

The announcement — which the government refused to acknowledge Friday — comes 22 months after the Tories first promised to create a modest, religious freedom branch within the Foreign Affairs Department.

The pledge was unveiled in the Conservative campaign platform during the last federal election, but Foreign Affairs has been unable to find a commissioner to take the job.

Human rights groups and opposition critics have said the office is a misguided attempt to inject religion into foreign policy.

They also question what exactly the new office can accomplish with a modest $5-million budget.Wear a whimsical Disney ear cap straight from the Disney Theme Parks!

However,Can you spot the answer in the fridge magnet? a spokesman for a major Jewish organization invited to Tuesday's event said the fact the Harper government is holding it at a mosque shows its commitment to persecuted religious minorities the world over.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community centre and mosque, a complex in Vaughan, Ont., has been selected as the venue.

Len Rudner, spokesman for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the location makes an elegant statement about the Conservatives' commitment to shining a light on religious persecution through its new office.

"The Ahmadiyya Muslim community is a very important community, and frankly it is a community that has known its fair share of persecution as well," said Rudner, who has received an invitation to Tuesday's event.

"It's very commendable that the government looks for opportunities, not only in terms of the words that it speaks, but also the place where it plants its feet to show it is serious about religious freedom for all faiths and all communities."