A new issue of The Humanist is out. From the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture and Natural Resources Law, Prabhakar Singh (National University of Singapore): No Roses Without Thorns: Global Consumers of Cut Flowers as Political Actors. From n+1, Mark Greif on Mogadishu, Baghdad, Troy; Or, heroes without war. In his new book, Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks, Keith Houston reveals the stories behind esoteric punctuation marks, from the pilcrow to the manicule to the octothorpe, a.k.a. the hashtag. The changes to the Dow Jones industrial average show the absurdity of the Dow Jones industrial average. Emily Bazelon on why Syria is a legal triumph: If a deal holds up, it will be a tremendous victory for international law, despite Obama’s bungling. A study finds dreaming is still possible even when the mind is blank. Chris Lehmann on one thing that the NSA got right: Steve Jobs commanded a vast legion of zombies. Molly Redden on why new Australian prime minister Tony Abbott is bad news for non-Australians. Laura Helmuth on the best critique of alternative medicine ever: It’s an animated video and it’s hilarious. Donald Prothero in how the Discovery Channel jumped the shark during “Shark Week” (and more). The Colonist of Good Will: Thomas Meaney on how Algerian Chronicles shows that Albert Camus still has something to say to us — not about terrorism but economic justice. David Wong on the 6 weirdest things we've learned since 9/11.
