Why Hitler and ’50 Shades of Grey’ Are Amazon Best-Sellers

Due to the inconspicuous nature of e-books, “Mein Kampf” seems to be in everyone’s hands these days; scientists have created an algorithm that can predict whether a book will be a best-seller; working in the arts can lead to high levels of happiness. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Mein Kampf Topping Amazon Ebook Charts Because It ‘Follows Same Trend’ As 50 Shades of Grey According to the political author and journalist Chris Faraone, while the controversial book’s print sales have remained minimal for many years, its various eBook versions consistently appear in politics, history and philosophy “Top 20” lists for retailers like Amazon or iTunes.

Those Still Going on about Ralph Nader Electing Bush in 2000 Should Desist It was a little disappointing to see Peter Dreier’s Huffington Post article on the topic, “Nader’s Hypocrisy,” kicking the new year off.

Scientists Find Secret to Writing a Best-Selling Novel Scientists have developed an algorithm which can analyse a book and predict with 84 per cent accuracy whether or not it will be a commercial success.

The Egyptian Army’s Unlikely Allies When the Egyptian writer Alaa Al Aswany took the stage in October at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris to promote the French translation of his latest novel, he was presumably not expecting to be heckled and chased from the venue by a crowd of his own countrymen.

Job Satisfaction and Happiness Working in the Arts Countless stories have run about how people love to work at Google (or Apple or Twitter or any one of a score of high tech companies, large and small).

Uganda: The Number One (Anti-Homosexuality, Anti-Women) Place to Visit It’s taken nasty dictatorships and a brutal civil war to keep Uganda off the tourist radar, but stability is returning and it won’t be long before visitors come flocking back.

Triumph of the Entrepreneurial City As long as talented people born in different places are coming together, even the Orkney Islands can be an innovation hub.

Reading a Novel Changes Your Brain College students experienced heightened connectivity in their left temporal cortexes after reading fiction.

Growing Boycott Will ‘Hit Each of Us in the Pocket’ Warns Israel Finance Minister Israeli finance minister Yair Lapid has become the latest senior official to warn about the serious impact of growing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns targeting Israel.