Syracuse University

Just a few months short of a quarter-century as Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin will tomorrow put his hand on a copy of the constitution and begin another six-year term as president wielding extraordinary power.

The explosion of social media has given rise to a new type of star known as the influencer. A lot of these individuals have careers outside social media, but have managed to become famous for harnessing the power of social media, and particularly Instagram, reaching millions of followers. Their power has resulted in many brands offering them large sums of money to promote their products.

'Becoming Turkish: Nationalist Reforms and Cultural Negotiations in Early Republican Turkey, 1923-1945' by Hale Yılmaz (Syracuse University Press, 328 pages, $39)

'National Elections in Turkey: People, Politics, and the Party System' by F. Michael Wuthrich (Syracuse University Press, 341 pages, $49)

'32' by Sahar Mandour, translated from the Arabic by Nicole Fares (Syracuse University Press, 141 pages, $19)

Toward the end of this slim novel, the anonymous protagonist tells her Beiruti friends about the book she has been writing: 

In 2008, Syracuse University professor of Art Sam Van Aken wanted to create a multi-colored tree for his an art project. Vak Aken was granted a 3-acre orchard from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station and started to graft buds from the 250 heritage varieties found on the orchard onto a single stock tree.