[USA Today]
Everything is for sale.

[Prospect]
Amartya Sen: There are two issues here. First, the recognition that identities are robustly plural and the importance of one identity need not obliterate another. And second, that a person has to make choices about what relative importance to attach, in a particular context, to their divergent loyalties and identities. The individual belongs to many different groups and it's up to him or her to decide which of those groups he or she would like to give priority to.

[ABC News]
David Gerrold examines past predictions of science fiction writers and compares them to real world developments.

[arstechnica]
RIAA loses filesharing court case, has to pay defendant's attorney fees.

[BBC News]
In a move long overdue, the Academy amends rules for films submitted for foreign language film Oscar award category, which are no longer required to be in the country's official language.

[The Independent]
Research on hallucinogenic mushrooms finds that there is no difference between drug-induced mystical experiences and the spontaneous religious ones that believers have reported for centuries. They are "descriptively identical."

[Telegraph.co.uk]
The Pope: In contemporary culture, we often see an excessive exaltation of the freedom of the individual.

[Para Publishing]
Some publishing facts: $1.7 billion is spent annually on textbooks. $78 billion is spent on alcohol, $37 billion on cigarettes and $6 billion on pet food. 20% of adults in the U.S. read at or below the fifth grade level. 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school. 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year. Customers 55 and older account for more than one-third of all books bought. Women buy 68% of all books. Libraries lose 20% of their books each year. 81% of the population feels they have a book inside them. 70% of the books published do not make a profit.

[TechWeb]
Study shows that a self-directed program utilizing notebook PCs and personalized instruction increases student motivation while encouraging technology skills. And the students like it, too.

[Scientific American]
Another study debunks claims for the efficacy of prayer.

[Gallery of the Absurd]
"Gossip-fueled art" at the Gallery of the Absurd.