A new issue of The Public Journal of Semiotics is out. A new issue of The Semiotic Review of Books is out. From New York, smart talk has never been such a valuable commodity — it’s spawned conferences like TED, Davos, and now a slew of upstart competitors; it has made the eighteen‑minute TED lecture a viral online phenomenon — but are we running out of things to say? War is corroding the souls of some Sarah Palin fans: On her Facebook page, an alarming number are openly calling for atrocities, mass murder, even the nuclear annihilation of a whole region. Greed isn't good: Research suggests wealth could make people unethical. A drug that wakes the near dead: A surprising drug has brought a kind of consciousness to patients once considered vegetative — and changed the debate over pulling the plug. Haterade: What are the long-term effects of being called an intolerant hack, a feminazi, a despicable pig, and a stupid little twit on a daily basis? The closing of the public square: A review of Liberty’s Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly by John Inazu and Speech Out of Doors: Preserving First Amendment Liberties in Public Places by Timothy Zick.
