The final issue of Culture is out. From Applied Semiotics, Christos Zagkos, Argyris Kyridis, Ifigenia Vamvakidou, Nikos Fotopoulos (Western Macedonia): The Banknote as a Figure of Nationhood in the Balkan Countries; and Daniel Reynolds (UCSB): Esthetics of the Extreme in Shock Websites. Christopher Terry welcomes a re-examination of the work of F.R. Leavis and the legacy of his controversial style of criticism. Russell Jacoby on Sigmund Freud in America. From New Statesman, a special issue on the 50 people who matter today. A study uncovers the "de-urbanization" of America. A review of Are We There Yet?: The Golden Age of American Family Vacations by Susan Sessions Rugh. What does woman want? Mary Eberstadt on the war between the sexless. Print is still king: Only three percent of newspaper reading happens online. Queens of the Scatological Age: Jay Wexler reviews this year’s candidates for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and tiptoes through the doo-doo. People who know a lot about a lot have long been an exclusive club, but now they are an endangered species; Edward Carr tracks some down. Torture porn movies are complex cultural products that deserve serious academic attention and analysis. Captain Hook meets Adam Smith: Debunking pirate myths reveals how hidden economic forces generate social order. Fashion Forward: A Washington couple finds happiness in a cocktail of philosophy and fashion — metaphysics never looked so good. Should Roman Polanski have to pay for crimes he committed 30 years ago? AC Grayling investigates.
