Principled stand
Scientists offered guidelines to repair the damage caused by the Nutt affair, but the Government’s response threatens to undermine independent advice and must be resisted, writes Evan Harris

Scientists offered guidelines to repair the damage caused by the Nutt affair, but the Government’s response threatens to undermine independent advice and must be resisted, writes Evan Harris

Chief executive issued ultimatum to London Met governors before mass resignations: leave or risk the institution’s funding. Rebecca Attwood reports
Steadily dropping poll numbers in the US have registered growing public dissatisfaction with the war in Afghanistan. In this context, it is worth asking: what leads citizens to support or oppose...
Although it does not cover the current crisis, Andreas Hess discovers a study that sets the stage for it
British readers of this interesting and easy-to-read book exploring the US community college system are likely to see a number of parallels with undergraduate education in the UK. Community colleges...
Fern Elsdon-Baker’s book begins with a quote from Oscar Wilde: “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live; it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” The quote speaks very clearly to...
The impact of three significant relationships on the ‘father of US literature’ fascinates J. D. Stahl
The prominence of murder and violence in cinema is a well-researched and substantially described area of film studies. However, even though the many publications on the topic – mostly focusing on...
Is the historical novel in vogue as never before? Five of the six books on the 2009 Man Booker Prize shortlist were in the historical category. From the richly painted Tudor world of Hilary Mantel’s...
? = Review forthcomingBusiness and managementl Business Practices in Southeast Asia: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Theravada Buddhist CountriesBy Scott A. Hipsher, professor of business, Anaheim...

Umberto Eco's faintly fanatical offering fascinates Simon Blackburn

Ironically, this provocative book would make a great stocking-filler, writes Michelle Baddeley
James Nicholls' excellent book focuses on alcohol legislation in England. This focus was chosen primarily for reasons of space, he says, but reference is also made to drinking cultures and government...
In the late 1920s, Walter Benjamin decided to pursue an ambitious project: a study of Paris, capital of the 19th-century world, with particular emphasis on what he believed was its quintessential...
The use of humour to disguise an intellectual challenge is an effective ruse, says Peter J. Smith