An entertaining and enlightening exploration of why waste matters, this cultural history explores an often ignored subject matter and makes a compelling argument for a deeper understanding of human and animal waste. Approaching the subject from a variety of perspectives--evolutionary, ecological, and cultural--this examination shows how integral excrement is to biodiversity, agriculture, public health, food production and distribution, and global ecosystems. From primordial ooze, dung beetles, bug frass, cat scats, and flush toilets to global trade, pandemics, and energy, this is the awesome, troubled, uncensored story of feces.

"I'd rather have one or two of his whiplashing essays in my hands than almost any tome of philosophy". -- Thomas Moore

Since publishing its first issue in 1981, The Austin Chronicle has evolved alongside the city's sound to define and give voice to 'The Live Music Capital of the World.' ... In honor of the Chronicle's thirtieth anniversary, this anthology gathers the weekly's best music writing and photography ... Capturing the moments that make music history as they happen ...

When a handful of adventurous Austinites combined forces to dream up the South by Southwest Music & Media Conference in the mid-to-late 1980s, there was no guarantee it would survive past the first couple of years, much less blossom into the premier event of its kind in the world. Launched in March of 1987, SXSW quickly caught on as a sort of "spring break for the music industry" where deals were done amid waves of warm weather, Texas cuisine, and an endless parade of musicians from across the globe. SXSW Scrapbook takes a long look back at many years of highlights as South by Southwest celebrates its twenty-fifth edition in 2011. Those who were there share stories about how it all got started; memorable performances by major artists including Johnny Cash, the Black Eyed Peas, Iggy Pop, the Dixie Chicks, and the Flaming Lips; countless up-and-coming acts that got a leg up in their careers by playing SXSW; Sunday softball tournaments with Doug Sahm as championship-game announcer; goodie-bags decorated by renowned illustrators from Mike Judge to Daniel Johnston; and the convention's eventual expansion beyond music to include a film festival and an interactive media component. The book includes numerous photos, plus essays from SXSW staffers and participants including Dave Marsh, David Fricke, Jim DeRogatis, John Morthland, Ed Ward, Michael Corcoran, Jaan Uhelszki, and Thom Duffy.

The Oxford Handbook of Postcolonial Studies provides a comprehensive overview of the latest scholarship in postcolonial studies, while also considering possible future developments in the field. Original chapters written by a worldwide team of contritbuors are organised into five cross-referenced sections, 'The Imperial Past', 'The Colonial Present', 'Theory and Practice', 'Across the Disciplines', and 'Across the World'. The chapters offer both country-specific and comparative approaches to current issues, offering a wide range of new and interesting perspectives. The Handbook reflects the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of postcolonial studies and reiterates its continuing relevance to the study of both the colonial past—in its multiple manifestations— and the contemporary globalized world. Taken together, these essays, the dialogues they pursue, and the editorial comments that surround them constitute nothing less than a blueprint for the future of a much-contested but intellectually vibrant and politically engaged field.