Archeologists and craftspeople are building a village and monastery following, for the first time, the only blueprint that survived the early Middle Ages — a medieval plan for a utopian community sketched on calfskin.
Like many people in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, social scientist Zeynep Tufekci was shocked by the killing of three Muslim students there in February. At a hastily organized vigil the following night, she was reminded of the power of community in addressing problems.