MITPressLog

WPJ Election Night Event

Attention New Yorkers! Looking for an interesting way to spend election night this November 4th?

Join us at the 92 Street Y for a panel discussion with top analysts and experts from the World Policy Journal  from 8pm-9pm.  Following the discussion, watch the returns live on a big screen from "Dan Rather Reports on Politics " on HDNet.  Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Moderated by veteran New York Times and CBS News correspondent David A. Andelman, editor of the Journal; and featuring Stephen Schlesinger, editor of his father's memoirs and longtime global advisor to Governor Mario Cuomo; Nina Khrushcheva of the New School and great granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev; Jack Devine, veteran head of the clandestine services of the CIA; and from Washington, Edward Luttwak, controversial senior fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.   

World Policy Journal patrons can order a discounted ticket by entering code wpj for $7 off the $27 ticket price. Call the box office at 212-415-5500 or click here  (put in Election night in the search engine) to place your order. Hope to see you there!

2-fer in Cambridge

If you are out and about in Cambridge today, two of our liveliest authors are speaking.  The timing is perfect that you can probably make both events:

Harvard Book Store will welcome MIT Media Lab's Alex "Sandy" Pentland for a discussion of his latest work, Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World at 3:00 pm today.  

DATE:	Friday, October 24th
TIME:	3:00 PM
LOCATION:	Harvard Book Store 1256 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge
TICKETS:	This event is free; no tickets are required

Then, just two stops on the red line away, Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid will speak about his new book, Sound Unbound at MIT's LIST Visual Arts Center. 

DATE:	Friday, October 24th
TIME:	7:00 - 8:30 pm
LOCATION:	Bartos Theatre Wiesner Building E-15 MIT
TICKETS:	This event is free; no tickets are required

Trajectories of the Catastrophic symposium

 Trajectories of the Catastrophic, a symposium exploring the ideas and arguments put forth in the theoretical works of Paul Virilio, will take place this weekend in San Francisco. Participants include performance artist Stelarc (known, among other things, for implanting an ear onto his arm), DJ Spooky, and a host of other artists, scholars, filmmakers and theorists. There will also be a (taped) presentation from Semiotext(e) founder Sylvère Lotringer and a field trip to the Military Bunkers of Marin Headlands. Visit the Trajectories of the Catastrophic website to find out more.

Award News - Noxious New York wins John Hope Franklin Publication Prize

Noxious New York: The Racial Politics of Urban Health and Environmental Justice has been named the winner of the 2008 John Hope Franklin Publication Prize. The Franklin Prize prize is awarded every year by the American Studies Association (ASA) for the best published book in American Studies.
The award was presented this past Friday at the annual meeting of the ASA, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

MIT Press Bookstore Loading Dock Sale

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The Fall 2008
MIT PRESS BOOKSTORE LOADING DOCK SALE
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DAY:    Saturday & Sunday
DATE:    October 18th & 19th
TIME:    10:00am to 7:00pm
ROOM:    MIT E38, 292 Main Street, Cambridge
MAP:    http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=E38
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"a feeding frenzy for the brain"

On October 18th & 19th The MIT Press Bookstore will hold its legendary Loading Dock Sale. Literally *tons* of books will be on sale at drastically reduced prices--up to 90% off their original retail price. Can't come in the morning? Don't worry--new items will be added throughout the course of this two day extravaganza. Come visit our lovely loading dock to enjoy Huge Savings!

In order to make the sale a more pleasant experience for everyone, we're going to try something new this year:

Saturday - "no-book-dealers" day
Saturday will be the "no-book-dealers" day that many of you have requested. Student, MIT or other University id will be required for admittance. One additional guest admitted per id. There will be a 40 
book per purchaser limit. We reserve the right to refuse admittance to anyone purchasing for resale.

Sunday - "open-to-all" day
Sunday will be the "open-to-all" day. All are welcome, no purchasing limits. The tables will be fully restocked before the start.

For parking or event information call 253-5249, email [email protected], 
or check here.   

Our economists on the financial crisis

As the tumult continues for the global financial system, news shows are mining the insights of economists who can explain in understandable language what's happened and what the likely long-term consequences. Given that recent events have required most of us to play catch up on the meaning of complex derivatives and credit swaps, you can't have too many.

Two Press authors have gone on public radio in recent days to offer their perspectives. On Monday, Barry Eichengreen was a panelist on The Diane Rehm Show, discussing the G-7 summit and prospects for the new global economy. Eichengreen teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author or editor of six books with the Press. And yesterday, Frederic Mishkin - a former Fed governor and the author of Monetary Policy Strategy - was a guest on On Point, discussing America's place in the world after the crisis.

Both shows are archived for streaming and downloading - Diane Rehm here and On Point here.

Oh, and did we mention that Paul Krugman won the Nobel Prize? And that while he was doing all that fancy work on trade geography he was our author? We did? OK - never mind.

Krugman Wins Nobel Prize in Economics

Paul Krugman was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics this morning, according to a Reuters article posted this morning.  Krugman is a New York Times columnist, professor of economics and international affairs  at Princeton University, and staunch Bush critic.  He is also the author of several MIT Press classics, including:  Geography and Trade, Rethinking International Trade, The Age of Diminished Expectations, Development, Geography, and Economic Theory, and Pop Internationalism.  He was favored to win the award, but told Reuters it came as a surprise: 

I rushed to take a shower … I called my wife and I called my parents. I've not yet managed to get myself a cup of coffee,” he said.

But lack of caffeine did not stop him offering an ad-hoc diagnosis of how the world economy was faring.

"We are now witnessing a crisis that is as severe as the crisis that hit Asia in the 90's. This crisis bears some resemblance to the Great Depression."

Praising world leaders' efforts to staunch the financial bleeding, he added: "I'm slightly less terrified today than I was on Friday."

Congratulations Professor Krugman!

       

Sherry Turkle at the Harvard Bookstore

If you are in the Harvard Square area this afternoon, be sure to stop by the Harvard Bookstore.  Sherry Turkle will be discussing her trilogy: Evocative Objects, Falling for Science, and The Inner History of Devices.

   

DATE:	Friday, October 10th
TIME:	3:00 PM
LOCATION:	Harvard Book Store 1256 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge
TICKETS:	This event is free; no tickets are required

New Special Offer from World Policy Journal

Readers that subscribe to World Policy Journal (1 or 2 years) or renew for two years will receive the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback DVD free!

In 2005, World Policy Journal was the first publication to print a harrowing set of photographs that brought ethnic cleansing in Darfur to the attention of the world. The photo essay galvanized former Marine captain Brian Steidle to go on a mission urging global leaders to intervene on behalf of victims, and condemn the acts as genocide. Steidle’s story became a book, The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur, and now a documentary film. The critically lauded film depicts an ordinary man who decided to act bravely when presented with a grave moral dilemma. Recognizing the ongoing relevance of the Darfur tragedy, World Policy Journal is now offering new subscribers, or current subscribers who renew for two years, a free DVD of the inspiring documentary about Steidle’s quest to alert the world to the tragedy in Darfur. 

The UnBox

Julia Christensen, author of the forthcoming Big Box Reuse, currently has a solo show at Carnegie Mellon's Miller Gallery.  Here, Julia offers us a look at the show, Your Town, Inc.:

77 photographs from Big Box Reuse hang on the walls of the gallery, and a large architectural installation called the UnBox is exhibited in the center of the space.  Created in response to the big box, Christensen built the structure with characteristics opposite of the typical big box in mind.  For instance, big boxes are not transportable, not built of recycled, recyclable, or locally-sourced materials, and are only used for one purpose: shopping.  In contrast, the UnBox is a 1500 square foot structure that folds up into a 4 x 6 x 9 foot box, so it is easily transportable.  It is also modular, with shelves, awnings, movie screens, a tunnel and doors that fold out of its walls, and was made entirely from locally-sourced recycled and/or recyclable materials.  The structure is being used for a variety of functions while it is in the Miller Gallery, from film screenings to art installations to board meetings.

A launch event for Big Box Reuse, including a lecture by Christensen about her work, will take place inside the UnBox structure at the Miller Gallery on November 13th.