From the inaugural issue of Affinities: A Journal of Radical Theory, Culture, and Action, Nathan Rambukkana (Concordia): Is slash an alternative medium? "Queer" heterotopias and the role of autonomous media spaces in radical world building; an essay on "Outlaw" Bicycling; and an interview with Roberto Ciccarelli on "social centers" in Italy.
Form Canadian Journal of Sociology, a review of Structures of Memory: Understanding Urban Change in Berlin and Beyond by Jennifer A. Jordan; The New Berlin: Memory, Politics, Place by Karen E. Till; and Traumascapes: The Power and Fate of Places Transformed by Tragedy by Maria Tumarkin; a review of Medicalized Masculinities; and a review of Negotiating Transcultural Lives: Belongings and Social Capital among Youth in Comparative Perspective; a review of Serious Leisure: A Perspective for Our Time by Robert A. Stebbins.
Micah Schwartzman (Virginia): The Principle of Judicial Sincerity. A review of Enforcing Equality: Congress, the Constitution, and the Protection of Individual Rights. From Commonweal, an article on Daniel Callahan & bioethics: Where the best arguments take him. Message in a Bacterium: Researchers use DNA as a post-human time capsule.
An interview with Michael Clark, author of Paradoxes from A to Z. A review of Culture and Philosophy in the Age of Plotinus by Mark Edwards. Here are 5 sample chapters from History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer. The first chapter from The Telescope: Its History, Technology, and Future by Geoff Andersen. Prehistoric Polynesians beat Europeans to the Americas, according to a new analysis of chicken bones. One of the greatest collections of historical letters ever amassed has been found in a laundry room, with one filing cabinet holding 500 years of history.
From Discover, here are 20 things you didn't know about Nothing: There's more there than you think. The introduction to How Mathematicians Think: Using Ambiguity, Contradiction, and Paradox to Create Mathematics by William Byers.
From The Chronicle, The Heart of a Campus: A college's main building, often imposing and ornate, is a fondly regarded symbol to alumni. A new book highlights the architecture of Old Main. Could RateMyProfessors.com be right? A study finds correlation between ratings professors receive on much-derided site and through official student evaluations.
From FT, Martin Wolf reviews Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Layard. The pursuit of happiness: The science of wellbeing must turn to philosophy in order to understand the true nature of friendship. It's Called Sexsomnia: People with this rare disorder engage in sexual activity while asleep, but don't remember it later. No-one wants to talk seriously about toilets. Poke around in the hidden corners of The Poop Report, and you’ll come to see there's a lot more to it than tales about the trots.
