The inaugural issue of Aeternum: The Journal of Contemporary Gothic Studies is out, including Michael Sean Bolton (NCTU): Monstrous Machinery: Defining Posthuman Gothic; Dennis Yeo (Nanyang Technological): Gothic Paranoia in David Fincher’s Se7en, The Game and Fight Club; Hannah O’Connor (Cardiff): Queering the Mainstream Monster: Demonstrating Difference and Deviant Sexuality in Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Stoker’s Dracula (1897); and Lorna Piatti-Farnell interviews D.B. Reynolds on Vampires in America. Susannah Locke on how scientists are creating synthetic life from scratch. Slavoj Zizek on how capital captured politics: WikiLeaks has shown us that western democracies are now ruled by market forces that debase the very notion of freedom. David Weigel writes in defense of parachute political reporting. An essayist of the old school: Sven Birkerts reviews A Literary Education and Other Essays by Joseph Epstein. Daniel Z. Epstein on redressing politicized spending. From Uni Watch, it wasn’t broke but they fixed it anyway, part 739: “MLB is chipping away at the [All Star] game’s unique look”. Pat Oglesby on how states may be stuck with second-best marijuana taxes. James M. Dorsey on mega sports events: A double-edged sword. “It's impossible for you to have been more wrong, Rick”: CNBC's Rick Santelli has his biggest on-air blowup in a long time. Nicholas Stephanopoulos on how we can end gerrymandering once and for all. Borderline personalities: Rightbloggers vs. huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Thriving in the new zombie future: William Riggs on business as usual planning for the zombie apocalypse.
