Michael Marrinan, art historian at Stanford University and author of the recent Stanford University Press publication Romantic Paris Histories of a Cultural Landscape, 1800-1850, explains how his work led him to explore a cultural history of Paris. 
You can view the video of Marrinan's talk here.
The nation is stirring over Arizona's new immigration law that allows authorities to question anyone that they suspect is in the country illegally. Some say it's a good idea to investigate suspects while others think it's merely an excuse to for authorities to question people based on their Hispanic appearance alone. 
Leo Chavez is the author of the book The Latino Threat, which investigates how stereotypes and prejudices have plagued the immigrant population and redefined what it means to be American. Chavez was recently interviewed by the Huffington Post and uses his expertise in the subject to shed light on the issues at stake in Arizona immigration.
Read the Huffington Post interview here.
The Arizona State Legislature will hold a House Study Committee on sentencing this Friday to review and assess Arizona’s sentencing laws, which have been criticized by some for being overwhelmingly harsh. The Committee will hear testimony from State Representatives, members of the House Corrections Committee and the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, and other experts on the subject.
Dr. Mona Lynch, author of Sunbelt Justice: Arizona and the Transformation of American Punishment, (Stanford University Press, 2009) has been invited to testify as well. Lynch’s book examines the development of the Arizona penal system over a period of fifty years, and she uses this history to help explain some of the catalysts of the national trend toward expanded use of imprisonment and harsh sentencing. Lynch will present her research and opinions to the Arizona House Study Committee on Friday, May 14.
You can watch the meeting via live stream and find out more details on the Arizona State Legislature website.
On Sunday, author Reena Patel held a party at the Roger Smith Hotel in Manhattan for her new book Working the Night Shift: Women in India's Call Center Industry.
The book examines how women employed in the business process outsourcing industry are experiencing a rapidly expanding "second shift" in the global economy. Patel explores how a woman's "place" in the urban night scape is changing as a result of the night shift phenomenon.
For more on the book, see Working the Night Shift.
Check out pictures and description of the launch party here.
