remarkable
The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Barbour, Julian B., PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, Richard Feynman once quipped: "Time is what happens when nothing else does." But Julian Barbour disagrees: if nothing happened, if nothing changed, time would stop. For time is nothing but change. It is change that we perceive occurring all around us, not time. In fact, time doesn't exist. In this highly provocative volume, Barbour presents the basic evidence for the nonexistence of time, explaining what a timeless universe is like and showing how the world will nonetheless be experienced as intensely temporal. It is a book that strikes at the heart of modern physics, that casts doubt on Einstein's greatest contribution, the space-time continuum, but that also points to the solution of one of the great paradoxes of modern science: the chasm between classical and quantum physics. Indeed, Barbour argues that the unification of Einstein's general relativity and quantum mechanics may well spell the end of time--time will cease to have a role in the foundations of physics. Barbour writes with remarkable clarity, as he ranges from ancient philosophers such as Heraclitus and Parmenides, to such giants of science as Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, to the work of contemporary physicists such as John Wheeler, Roger Penrose, and Steven Hawking. Along the way, the author treats us to an enticing look at some of the mysteries of the universe and presents intriguing ideas about multiple worlds, time travel, immortality, and, above all, the illusion of motion. Turning our understanding of reality inside-out, The End of Time is a vibrantly written and revolutionary book.
Paris Noire
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Howard, Francine Thomas, PUBLISHER: AmazonEncore, Paris, : The city steams in the summer heat, bristling with anticipation of its impending liberation. It marks the beginning of the end of a devastating war...and the beginning of a year like no other for Marie-Th?r?se Brillard and her children, Colette and Christophe. They first came to Paris from Martinique in , among the immigrants of color who flocked to France in the s and '30s. They settled in Montmartre, a vibrant neighborhood teeming with musicians, writers, and artists, and began the arduous task of building a new life in a new land. The rigors of World War II only added to the adversity beneath which Marie-Th?r?se struggled. Its culmination should offer her relief, and yet...When Colette and Christophe are swept up in the jubilation following the Nazis? departure, each embarks upon a passionate love affair that Marie-Th?r?se fears will cost them their dreams ? or their lives. Twenty-year-old Colette begins a dalliance with a white Frenchman, a romance discouraged for the quadroon child of an immigrant. Her older brother Christophe becomes the lover of the beautiful wife of a French freedom fighter, a relationship Marie-Th?r?se suspects can only end in heartache and bloodshed. Adding yet another complication is the man she calls Monsieur Lieutenant, the handsome black soldier whose mere presence intrigues Marie-Th?r?se as no man has before. Set against the turbulent backdrop of wartime France, Paris Noire is a dramatic and engrossing novel that brings to vivid life the remarkable people once relegated to the fringes of history.
Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson,
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Young, Alfred Fabian, PUBLISHER: Knopf Publishing Group, The remarkable story of the woman who fought in the American Revolution as Robert Shurtliff- and got away with it. Serving for seventeen months during the period between the British surrender at Yorktown and the signing of the final treaty, a time when peace was far from secure, Deborah Sampson accomplished her deception by becoming an outstanding soldier. Alfred Young shows us why she did it and exactly how she carried it off. He meticulously reconstructs her early life as an indentured servant; her young adulthood as a weaver, teacher, and religious rebel; and her military career in the light infantry- consisting of dangerous patrols and small-party encounters, duty that demanded constant vigilance- followed by service as an orderly to a general at West Point. Young also examines her postwar life as a wife- Mrs. Benjamin Gannett- and mother on a hardscrabble farm in southeastern Massachusetts, her collaboration with Herman Mann on the book that made her a celebrity and sent her on a pathbreaking yearlong lecture tour through New England and New York in , and her relentless and partially successful quest for veterans' benefits. He looks, too, at how Americans have dealt with Sampson in public memory and have appropriated her for a number of causes over the past two hundred years. Throughout we are aware of the historian as detective, as Young carefully sifts through layers of fact and fiction to reveal a fascinating, complex, and unusual woman who lived in an era that both opened opportunities to and imposed limitations on women.
The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Harrington, Joel F., PUBLISHER: Farrar Straus Giroux, The extraordinary story of a Renaissance-era executioner and his world, based on a rare and overlooked journal In the late s a Nuremberg man named Frantz Schmidt began to do something utterly remarkable for his era: he started keeping a journal. But what makes Schmidt even more compelling to us is his day job. For forty-five years, Schmidt was an efficient and prolific public executioner, employed by the state to extract confessions and put convicted criminals to death. In his years of service, he executed 361 people and tortured, flogged, or disfigured hundreds more. Is it possible that a man who practiced such cruelty could also be insightful, compassionate, humane--even progressive? In his groundbreaking book, the historian Joel F. Harrington looks for the answer in Schmidt's journal, whose immense significance has been ignored until now. Harrington uncovers details of Schmidt's medical practice, his marriage to a woman ten years older than him, his efforts at penal reform, his almost touching obsession with social status, and most of all his conflicted relationship with his own craft and the growing sense that it could not be squared with his faith. A biography of an ordinary man struggling for his soul, "The Faithful Executioner "is also an unparalleled portrait of Europe on the cusp of modernity, yet riven by conflict and encumbered by paranoia, superstition, and abuses of power. In his intimate portrait of a Nuremberg executioner, Harrington also sheds light on our own fraught historical moment. Acquista Ora
Crossing the Divide: Representations of Deafness in
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Hartig, Rachel M., PUBLISHER: Gallaudet University Press, This remarkable volume examines the process by which three deaf, French biographers from the 19th and 20th centuries attempted to cross the cultural divide between deaf and hearing worlds through their work. The very different approach taken by each writer sheds light on determining at what point an individual's assimilation into society endanger his or her sense of personal identity. Author Hartig begins by assessing the publications of Jean-Ferdinand Berthier (). Berthier wrote about Auguste Bebian, Abbe de l'Epee, and Abbe Sicard, all of whom taught at the National Institute for the Deaf in Paris. Although Berthier presented compelling portraits of their entire lives, he paid special attention to their political and social activism, his main interest. Yvonne Pitrois () pursued her particular interest in the lives of deaf-blind people. Her biography of Helen Keller focused on her subject's destiny in conjunction with her unique relationship with Anne Sullivan. Corinne Rocheleau-Rouleau () recounted the historical circumstances that led French-Canadian pioneer women to leave France. The true value of her work resides in her portraits of these pioneer women: maternal women, warriors, religious women, with an emphasis on their lives and the choices they made. "Crossing the Divide" reveals clearly the passion these biographers shared for narrating the lives of those they viewed as heroes of an emerging French deaf community. All three used the genre of biography not only as a means of external exploration but also as a way to plumb their innermost selves and to resolve ambivalence about their own deafness.
Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Ferling, John, PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, No event in the American history was more pivotal--or more furiously contested--than Congress' decision to declare independence in July . Even months after American blood had been shed at Lexington and Concord, many colonists remained loyal to Britain. And those in Congress who pushed for independence knew that any vote for it must carry all 13 colonies: a disunited opposition would be doomed in a war against the British Empire. John Adams, a leader of the effort, said bringing the fractious Congress together was like getting "thirteen clocks to strike at once." For all the books that have been written about the Revolutionary era, none has ever concentrated on the dramatic struggle in the Continental Congress that led to the Declaration of Independence. The cast of characters is astonishing: John and Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin, and others all took part in the struggle in Congress. But Independence tells the other side of the story, too, taking readers to London where ministers--many in sympathy with the Americans--agonized over how to deal with a rebellion that threatened the Empire. "Independence"" "reminds us of the fateful decision points where history might easily have taken a different path. At this remarkable moment in history, high-stakes, life-and-death politics was intertwined with an intense philosophical debate about democracy, governance, and justice. John Ferling, drawing on a lifetime of scholarship, brings the passionate contest to life as no other historian could. "Independence"" "will be hailed as the finest work yet from the author Michael Beschloss calls "a national resource."
Face to Face: My Quest to Perform the First Full Face
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Siemionow, Maria, PUBLISHER: Kaplan Publishing, In December , Maria Siemionow, M.D., made headlines by performing the world's first near-total face transplant. It was an extraordinary event in a thirty-year medical career marked by many astonishing milestones. Now she recalls her remarkable journey in "Face to Face," a unique memoir that traces the path from her childhood in Poland to her medical training there and in Finland. Her arrival in the United States in the s, as a fellow at the Christine Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in Louisville, Kentucky, confirmed her future as an award-winning researcher and world-class surgeon, leading ultimately to the controversial facial transplant procedure that revolutionized the field. Weaving fascinating medical science with a captivating life story, "Face to Face" explores the emotional, cultural, and moral implications of the twenty-first-century advances that have helped Dr. Siemionow's work thrive. She also provides details of the perseverance that led her to become the first U.S. physician to receive Institutional Review Board approval for facial transplantation surgery, followed by the poignant selection process as she was bombarded with compelling requests from prospective patients, and ultimately the successful completion of an operation that captured the world's attention. Both a chronicle of a groundbreaking surgery and a deeply moving story of personal courage, "Face to Face" also shares Dr. Siemionow's inspiring philosophy about the identities, physiological traits, and biological needs that combine to create our individual faces. Celebrating this triumph of form and function, she transforms the way we feel when we look in the mirror--and the way we think about those who dedicate their lives to healing and hope.
Toward Alternative Theology: Confessions Non Dualist
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Grant, Sara / Malkovsky, Bradley J., PUBLISHER: University of Notre Dame Press, Toward an Alternative Theology: Confessions of a Non-Dualist Christian is the spiritual and intellectual autobiography of Sara Grant, a Roman Catholic Scottish nun, who, until her death in , established herself as one of the leading twentieth-century figures in Indian Christian theology and the contemplative life. In this slim volume, Grant recounts her search not only for God, but for a right understanding of God, as well as for a way of rethinking Christian teachings on the mystery of God's relation to the world that could overcome widespread popular dualisms. Grant's odyssey begins with experiences from her childhood and follows her entrance into the novitiate of the Society of the Sacred Heart, where she began an intensive study of Aquinas. After training in classics and philosophy at Oxford University, Grant traveled to India, where she spent the remainder of her life, first as a professor of philosophy at Sophia College, Bombay, and later in Pune in the dual role of professor at Jnana-Deepa-Vidyapeeth and head of a Christian monastic community. Grant studied Sanskrit and became an expert on Sankara (ca. 700 C.E.), the authoritative Hindu exponent of the doctrine of non-duality. Reading Aquinas and Sankara in a method of mutual illumination led Grant to discover that the non-dualistic, or advaitic, insight was compatible with Christian theology, and in fact is present, though underdeveloped, in all authentic Christian doctrine. Appearing for the first time in the United States, this engrossing book eloquently recounts the life of a remarkable woman and shows how Christian theology and spirituality can be enriched by encountering the experiences and concepts of advaita.This updated edition includes a new introduction by Bradley Malkovsky.
Listening in: The Secret White House Recordings of John F.
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Kennedy, Caroline / Widmer, Ted, PUBLISHER: Hyperion Books, In July , in an effort to preserve an accurate record of Presidential decision-making in a highly charged atmosphere of conflicting viewpoints, strategies and tactics, John F. Kennedy installed hidden recording systems in the Oval Office and in the Cabinet Room. The result is a priceless historical archive comprising some 265 hours of taped material. JFK was elected president when Civil Rights tensions were near the boiling point, and Americans feared a nuclear war. Confronted with complex dilemmas necessitating swift and unprecedented action, President Kennedy engaged in intense discussion and debate with his cabinet members and other advisors. Now, in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy presidency, the John F. Kennedy Library and historian Ted Widmer have carefully selected the most compelling and important of these remarkable recordings for release, fully restored and re-mastered onto two 75-minute CDs for the first time." Listening In" represents a uniquely unscripted, insider account of a president and his cabinet grappling with the day-to-day business of the White House and guiding the nation through a hazardous era of uncertainty. Accompanied by extensively annotated transcripts of the recordings, and with a foreword by Caroline Kennedy, "Listening In" delivers the story behind the story in the unguarded words and voices of the decision-makers themselves." Listening In" covers watershed events, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race, Vietnam, and the arms race, and offers fascinating glimpses into the intellectual methodology of a circumspect president and his brilliant, eclectic brain trust. Just as the unique vision of President John F. Kennedy continues to resonate half a century after his stirring speeches and bold policy decisions, the documentary candor of "Listening In" imparts a vivid, breathtaking immediacy that will significantly expand our understanding of his time in office.
Then Again
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Keaton, Diane, PUBLISHER: Random House, ""Mom loved adages, quotes, slogans. There were always little reminders pasted on the kitchen wall. For example, the word THINK. I found THINK thumbtacked on a bulletin board in her darkroom. I saw it Scotch-taped on a pencil box she'd collaged. I even found a pamphlet titled THINK on her bedside table. Mom liked to THINK."" So begins Diane Keaton's unforgettable memoir about her mother and herself. In it you will meet the woman known to tens of millions as "Annie Hall, " but you will also meet, and fall in love with, her mother, the loving, complicated, always thinking Dorothy Hall. To write about herself, Diane realized she had to write about her mother, too, and how their bond came to define both their lives. And so, in a remarkable act of creation, Diane not only reveals herself to us, she also lets us meet in intimate detail her mother. Throughout her life, Dorothy kept eighty-five journals--literally thousands of pages--in which she wrote about her marriage, her children, and, most probingly, about herself. Dorothy also recorded memorable stories about Diane's grandparents. Diane has sorted through all these pages to paint an unflinching portrait of her mother--a woman restless with intellectual and creative energy struggling to find an outlet for her talents--as well as her entire family, recounting a story that spans four generations and nearly a hundred years. More than just the autobiography of a legendary actress, "Then Again" is a book about a very American family with very American dreams. Diane will remind you of yourself, and her bonds with her family will remind you of your own relationships with those you love the most.
Culture and the Changing Environment: Uncertainty,
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Casimir, Michael J., PUBLISHER: Berghahn Books, "This remarkable anthology of 13 essays is a cross-cultural study on ecological anthropology, which examines the cultural construction of nature, human evaluation of environmental risks, and human action to mitigate such risks. The anthology persuasively critiques the privileging of Western rationality over culture-specific perspectives of environmental change... It] stands alone for the geographical sweep of its contributions - from Europe, Asia, and Africa - and its disciplinary eclecticism, which draws deeply on anthropology, geography, psychology, ethnography, ethnology, and sociology... Essential." Choice Today human ecology has split into many different sub-disciplines such as historical ecology, political ecology or the New Ecological Anthropology. The latter in particular has criticised the predominance of the Western view on different ecosystems, arguing that culture-specific world views and human-environment interactions have been largely neglected. However, these different perspectives only tackle specific facets of a local and global hyper-complex reality. In bringing together a variety of views and theoretical approaches, these especially commissioned essays prove that an interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding of the extreme complexity of the human-environment interface(s) is possible. Michael J. Casimir is Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Cologne. He has conducted prolonged fieldwork on the ecology, economy, environmental management and nutritional and socialisation patterns among pastoral nomads in west Afghanistan and Kashmir. Together with Aparna Rao he was chairperson of the Commission on Nomadic Peoples of the International Union of Ethnological and Anthropological Sciences (), and was until one of the editors of Nomadic Peoples (Berghahn), the official journal of the Commission. His major publications include Flocks and Food. A Biocultural Approach to the Study of Pastoral Foodways (); Mobility and Territoriality (ed. ); Nomadism in South Asia (ed. ). Acquista Ora
The Lion's Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Renehan, Edward J., Jr., PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, In The Lion's Pride, Edward J. Renehan, Jr. vividly portrays the grand idealism, heroic bravery, and reckless abandon that Theodore Roosevelt both embodied and bequeathed to his children and the tragic fulfillment of that legacy on the battlefields of World War I. Drawing upon a wealth of previously unavailable materials, including letters and unpublished memoirs, The Lion's Pride takes us inside what is surely the most extraordinary family ever to occupy the White House. Theodore Roosevelt believed deeply that those who had been blessed with wealth, influence, and education were duty bound to lead, even--perhaps especially--if it meant risking their lives to preserve the ideals of democratic civilization. Teddy put his principles, and his life, to the test in the Spanish American war, and raised his children to believe they could do no less. When America finally entered the "European conflict" in , all four of his sons eagerly enlisted and used their influence not to avoid the front lines but to get there as quickly as possible. Their heroism in France and the Middle East matched their father's at San Juan Hill. All performed with selfless--some said heedless--courage: Two of the boys, Archie and Ted, Jr., were seriously wounded, and Quentin, the youngest, was killed in a dogfight with seven German planes. Thus, the war that Teddy had lobbied for so furiously brought home a grief that broke his heart. He was buried a few months after his youngest child. Filled with the voices of the entire Roosevelt family, The Lion's Pride gives us the most intimate and moving portrait ever published of the fierce bond between Teddy Roosevelt and his remarkable children.
The Count of Monte Cristo
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Dumas, Alexandre / Sante, Luc, PUBLISHER: Barnes & Noble, "The Count of Monte Cristo," by Alexandre Dumas, is part of the "Barnes & Noble Classics"" "series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of "Barnes & Noble Classics": New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. "Barnes & Noble Classics "pulls together a constellation of influences-biographical, historical, and literary-to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. Dashing young Edmond Dantes has everything. He is engaged to a beautiful woman, is about to become the captain of a ship, and is well liked by almost everyone. But his perfect life is shattered when he is framed by a jealous rival and thrown into a dark prison cell for 14 years. The greatest tale of betrayal, adventure, and revenge ever written, "The Count of Monte Cristo" continues to dazzle readers with its thrilling and memorable scenes, including Dantes's miraculous escape from prison, his amazing discovery of a vast hidden treasure, and histransformation into the mysterious and wealthy Count of Monte Cristo-a man whose astonishing thirst for vengeance is as cruel as it is just. Luc Sante is the author of "Low Life," "Evidence," and "The Factory of Facts," He teaches writing and the history of photography at Bard College.
Art: Sublimation or Sympton
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Adams, Parveen / Restuccia, Frances L., PUBLISHER: Other Press (NY), "This book extends our map of the articulations that link art and psychoanalysis into a new understanding of what they do for and to each other. Between Lacan and Freud, Caravaggio and Joyce, Hitchcock and Cronenberg, the authors work through the methods of art and the structures of psychoanalytic thinking about art to show us that the roles of sublimation and displacement, symptom and enunciation are at once discursive and aesthetic. The partial identifications of the object and discourse, their incomplete relationships and overlappings between them, constitute a new kind of knowledge. If there is one that lies outside the established boundaries of cultural and psychoanalytic studies, then these essays take a step toward disclosing it, inventing it, and giving it a name." -Adrian Rifkin, Professor of Visual Culture and Media at Middlesex University and author of "Ingres: Then, and Now" "With Art: Sublimation or Symptom, Parveen Adams breaks new ground in a remarkable career during which she has made some of the most original and inspiring contributions to psychoanalytic theory as it explores the artifice of cultural form. In the company of her gifted and insightful collaborators, Adams explores the psychic and semiotic crises of creation. The making of art as symptom, they suggest, engages the enigmatic 'lack' or 'void' of both sign and subject. Why do we take perverse pleasure in being strung out by the experience of art, placed somewhere between semblance and signification, beyond the mimetic consolations of coherence, reference, and recognition? Psychoanalysis may not have all the answers, but it has the deepest insights into the insatiable desire that drives us to ask such difficult questions. With Art: Sublimation or Symptom, Parveen Adams has, once again, orchestrated a profound and patient inquiry into some of the most urgent cultural issues that face us today." -Homi K. Bhabha, Rothenberg Professor of Literature, Harvard University
The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Kurlansky, Mark, PUBLISHER: Riverhead Books, The intriguing, inspiring history of one small, impoverished area in the Dominican Republic that has produced a staggering number of Major League Baseball talent, from an award-winning, bestselling author. In the town of San Pedro in the Dominican Republic, baseball is not just a way of life. It's "the" way of life. By the year , seventy-nine boys and men from San Pedro have gone on to play in the Major Leagues-that means one in six Dominican Republicans who have played in the Majors have come from one tiny, impoverished region. Manny Alexander, Sammy Sosa, Tony Fernandez, and legions of other San Pedro players who came up in the sugar mill teams flocked to the United States, looking for opportunity, wealth, and a better life. Because of the sugar industry, and the influxes of migrant workers from across the Caribbean to work in the cane fields and factories, San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic. A multitude of languages are spoken there, and a variety of skin colors populate the community; but the one constant is sugar and baseball. The history of players from San Pedro is also a chronicle of racism in baseball, changing social mores in sports and in the Dominican Republic, and the personal stories of the many men who sought freedom from poverty through playing ball. The story of baseball in San Pedro is also that of the Caribbean in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and on a broader level opens a window into our country's history. As with Kurlansky's "Cod" and "Salt," this small story, rich with anecdote and detail, becomes much larger than ever imagined. Kurlansky reveals two countries' love affair with a sport and the remarkable journey of San Pedro and its baseball players. In his distinctive style, he follows common threads and discovers wider meanings about place, identity, and, above all, baseball. Watch a Video Acquista Ora
Stop Being Your Symptoms and Start Being Yourself: The
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Barsky, Arthur J. / Deans, Emily C. / Stoll, Walt, PUBLISHER: HarperCollins Publishers, Do you suffer from ongoing pain or other chronic medical symptoms such as fatigue, lower back pain, arthritis, acid indigestion, insomnia, or migraines? Do they interfere with your family time or your work? Have you been forced to give up activities that you enjoy? Do you feel as though your symptoms are taking over your life? Thirty percent of the population suffer from chronic debilitating illnesses and pain that respond only partially to conventional medicine. But this doesn't mean that there is no relief in sight. Dr. Arthur Barsky, psychiatrist and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, has found that changing the way you think about your illness can have a remarkable effect on how you experience your symptoms. Two people with the same symptoms can live dramatically different lives because they think about and react to their symptoms differently. At Harvard Medical School, Dr. Barsky developed "Stop Being Your Symptoms and Start Being Yourself," a breakthrough six-week program designed to overcome the symptoms of chronic illnesses of every kind. Based on more than twenty years of firsthand clinical experience, his scientifically tested treatment plan is unique, powerful, and simple to learn. This groundbreaking program teaches patients to master the five psychological factors that make chronic symptoms persist through hundreds of exercises, worksheets, and patient examples. You may not be able to completely eliminate your medical symptoms. But it is possible to control your symptoms rather than letting them control you-- to manage your pain, fatigue, insomnia, and anxiety. You can minimize your symptoms, learn new coping skills, and do more to make surethat your symptoms are not robbing your life of meaning and pleasure. Stop being your symptoms-- and start living the life you deserve.
Liberalism's Crooked Circle: Letters to Adam Michnik
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Katznelson, Ira, PUBLISHER: Princeton University Press, This book is a profoundly moving and analytically incisive attempt to shift the terms of discussion in American politics. It speaks to the intellectual and political weaknesses within the liberal tradition that have put the United States at the mercy of libertarian, authoritarian populist, nakedly racist, and traditionalist elitist versions of the right-wing; and it seeks to identify resources that can move the left away from the stunned intellectual incoherence with which it has met the death of Bolshevism. In Ira Katznelson's view, Americans are squandering a tremendous ethical and political opportunity to redefine and reorient the liberal tradition. In an opening essay and two remarkable letters addressed to Adam Michnik, who is arguably East Europe's emblematic democratic intellectual, Katznelson seeks to recover this possibility. By examining issues that once occupied Michnik's fellow dissidents in the Warsaw group known as the Crooked Circle, Katznelson brings a fresh realism to old ideals and posits a liberalism that "stares hard" at cruelty, suffering, coercion, and tyrannical abuses of state power. Like the members of Michnik's club, he recognizes that the circumference of liberalism's circle never runs smooth and that tolerance requires extremely difficult judgments. Katznelson's first letter explores how the virtues of socialism, including its moral stand on social justice, can be related to liberalism while overcoming debilitating aspects of the socialist inheritance. The second asks whether liberalism can recognize, appreciate, and manage human difference. Situated in the lineage of efforts by Richard Hofstadter, C. Wright Mills, and Lionel Trilling to "thicken"liberalism, these letters also draw on personal experience in the radical politics of the s and in the dissident culture of East and Central Europe in the years immediately preceding communism's demise. "Liberalism's Crooked Circle could help foster a substantive debate in the American elections of and determine the contents of that desperately needed discussion.
So You Think You Know Me?
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Weaver, Allan, PUBLISHER: Waterside Press, The autobiography of an ex-offender and twice-times inmate of Barlinnie Prison, now a social work team-leader in his native Scotland. As a local hard case, author Allan Weaver took no prisoners. Neither does he in this compelling work in which he tells of a life of violent episodes and chaotic early life. Teachers, social workers and 'authority figures' never tried 'to get to know him' to unearth the clues and triggers and discover what his offending was all about. A natural rebel and a radical, it is hardly surprising that by ignoring the real Allan Weaver this led to an escalation of his violent activities, tensions between family and friends and dubious associates. So You Think You Know Me? is packed with contradictions: the Allan Weaver involved in mayhem and aggression is not the one telling the story from inside his own head: an often vulnerable, sensitive, articulate, unquestionably loyal and even-handed individual; mistaken, misguide and foolish perhaps but largely trapped by an increasing need to live up to his 'tough guy' reputation. That there can be any tidy ending to this graphic true-life account of approved school, assessment centres, care homes, borstal and Glasgow's notorious Barlinnie Prison is quite remarkable yet Allan Weaver survived to obtain a degree from Strathclyde University and to work on the inside of the Criminal Justice System with young people who, like he was, are in trouble with the law. The punches that he now throws are directed towards the shortcomings of a system which he believes is failing to do all that it could to turn them away from crime and anti-social behaviour as he explains in this heartfelt autobiography. Essential reading for anyoneinvolved with serious young offenders, especially those of a violent disposition. Acquista Ora
Caesar's Calendar: Ancient Time and the Beginnings of
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Feeney, D. C., PUBLISHER: University of California Press, The ancient Romans changed more than the map of the world when they conquered so much of it; they altered the way historical time itself is marked and understood. In this brilliant, erudite, and exhilarating book Denis Feeney investigates time and its contours as described by the ancient Romans, first as Rome positioned itself in relation to Greece and then as it exerted its influence as a major world power. Feeney welcomes the reader into a world where time was movable and changeable and where simply ascertaining a date required a complex and often contentious cultural narrative. In a style that is lucid, fluent, and graceful, he investigates the pertinent systems, including the Roman calendar (which is still our calendar) and its near perfect method of capturing the progress of natural time; the annual rhythm of consular government; the plotting of sacred time onto sacred space; the forging of chronological links to the past; and, above all, the experience of empire, by which the Romans meshed the city state's concept of time with those of the foreigners they encountered to establish a new worldwide web of time. Because this web of time was Greek before the Romans transformed it, the book is also a remarkable study in the cross-cultural interaction between the Greek and Roman worlds. Feeney's skillful deployment of specialist material is engaging and accessible and ranges from details of the time schemes used by Greeks and Romans to accommodate the Romans' unprecedented rise to world dominance to an edifying discussion of the fixed axis of B.C./A.D., or B.C.E./C.E., and the supposedly objective "dates" implied. He closely examines the most important of the ancient world's time divisions, that between myth and history, and concludes by demonstrating the impact of the reformed calendar on the way the Romans conceived of time's recurrence. Feeney's achievement is nothing less than the reconstruction of the Roman conception of time, which has the additional effect of transforming the way the way the reader inhabits and experiences time.
Only One Thing Missing
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Ruiz, Luis Manuel / Adam, Alfred M., PUBLISHER: Grove/Atlantic, Luis Manuel Ruiz's English-language debut is a literary page-turner that takes us through the labyrinthine streets of contemporary Seville, the desolate walkways of an unmapped urban dreamscape, and to the devil-worshiping underworld of medieval Lisbon. Only One Thing Missing centers on the grieving Alicia, a young woman who has recently lost her husband and only child in a tragic accident. Mourning the loss of her family, Alicia is fortunate to be surrounded by friends and neighbors whose hands are always outstretched to offer solace and comfort. But soon she becomes plagued by a succession of nightmares -- all set in a surreal, unidentifiable city -- and when the statues and shadowy figures from the dream city begin to appear in her waking life, she finds herself teetering between sanity and paranoia. Together with her brother-in-law, Esteban -- who happens to be madly in love with her -- Alicia gradually comes to understand that she may be the subject of an evil conspiracy that has dark, ancient roots. As the two of them fall deeper into this phantasmagoric world, they come to see that the people all around them may not be as well-meaning as they appear, and that trust -- once such an abundant commodity -- may have become an unaffordable luxury. Deftly crafted and rife with literary allusions, Only One Thing Missing is an enthralling thriller that is at once a love story, a chilling tale of the occult, and an exploration of the timeless themes of memory, obsession, and loss. This year's winner of the International Prize is a haunting psychological thriller, "a convincing adventure for all audiences... in which the mystery novel meets metaphysical philosophy and literature" -- ElPais, (Spain) "Ruiz leads the reader to the most forgotten... corners of life... his] is the voice of a... remarkable author." -- ABC Cultural (Spain)
Divine Prescriptions for Your Total Prosperity
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Del Rosario, Edwin, PUBLISHER: Xulon Press, Have you ever wondered why some people seem to "have it all" yet still live a discontented and miserable life? Wonder no more. Divine Prescriptions For Your Total Prosperity will give you straightforward answers on what total prosperity is all about. This remarkable book explores man's relationship with Jesus Christ, portrayed as the "Great Healer," dispensing His "divine prescriptions" that give total prosperity. Just like a physician examining a sick person, the author identifies man's spiritual diseases by pinpointing the symptoms, giving the diagnosis, writing the prescriptions with its dosage, and concluding with its prognosis. You will find just the right prescriptions to improve your personal finances, mend broken relationships, strengthen your marriage, heal emotional wounds, and cure destructive addictions - leading you to complete victory. Never again should you be in lack. You have a divine purpose and destiny. As you take the "divine prescriptions" dispensed in these pages, you will be on your way to achieving total prosperity as Jesus meant it to be. Edwin Del Rosario was born in the Philippines. In he, together with his father and brothers, left for America and joined his mother. Although America is the land of opportunity, Edwin Del Rosario experienced his greatest adversities here in this country. He made some big mistakes, but because of his faith in Christ, he turned his sour lemons into sweet lemonade. Today, he has his own successful businesses. He is also an effective Bible teacher, and a dynamic preacher of the Word. He accepts speaking engagements anywhere in the country. Mr. Del Rosario resides in Lake Mary, Florida with his lovely wife, Victoria, aregistered nurse. They are blessed with three wonderful children, Chad, a mechanical engineer, Derrick, a registered nurse, and Macy, a student pursuing a marketing degree. You may contact him directly by email at .
The Turn of the Screw, the Aspern Papers and Two Stories
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: James, Henry, Jr. / Sweet, David L., PUBLISHER: Barnes & Noble Classics, "The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers and Two Stories," by Henry James, is part of the "Barnes & Noble Classics"" "series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of "Barnes & Noble Classics": New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. "Barnes & Noble Classics "pulls together a constellation of influences-biographical, historical, and literary-to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. Joseph Conrad once said of his friend Henry James, "As is meet for a man of his descent and tradition, Mr. James is the historian of fine consciences." As it turns out, James was also incredibly gifted at writing exceptional ghost stories. This collection-including ""The Beast in the Jungle"" and ""The Jolly Corner""-features James's finest supernatural tales, along with criticism, a discussion of the legacies of James's writing, and provocative study questions. David L. Sweet is a professor of American and comparativeliterature at The American University in Cairo. He has also taught at Princeton, The City University of New York, The American University of Paris, and Columbia University, where he received his doctorate in Comparative Literature. His book "Savage Sight/Constructed Noise: Poetic Adaptations of Painterly Techniques in the French and American Avant-Gardes" will be published next year by the University of North Carolina.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Sedaris, David, PUBLISHER: Back Bay Books, "David Sedaris's ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art," ("The Christian Science Monitor") is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this remarkable new book. Trying to make coffee when the water is shut off, David considers using the water in a vase of flowers and his chain of associations takes him from the French countryside to a hilariously uncomfortable memory of buying drugs in a mobile home in rural North Carolina. In essay after essay, Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life-having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger on a plane or armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds-to the most deeply resonant human truths. Culminating in a brilliant account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris's sixth essay collection is a new masterpiece of comic writing from "a writer worth treasuring" ("Seattle Times"). Praise for When You Are Engulfed in Flames: "Older, wiser, smarter and meaner, Sedaris...defies the odds once again by delivering an intelligent take on the banalities of an absurd life." --"Kirkus Reviews" This latest collection proves that not only does Sedaris still have it, but he's also getting better....Sedaris's best stuff will still--after all this time--move, surprise, and entertain." --"Booklist" Table of Contents: It's Catching Keeping Up The Understudy This Old House Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie? Road Trips What I Learned That's Amore The Monster Mash In the Waiting Room Solutions to Saturday's Puzzle Adult Figures Charging Toward a Concrete Toadstool Memento Mori All the Beauty You Will Ever Need Town and Country Aerial The Man in the Hut Of Mice and Men April in Paris Crybaby Old Faithful The Smoking Section
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Fuller, Alexandra, PUBLISHER: Random House Canada, In this tour-de-force sequel to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller returns to Africa with the story of her unforgettable family. In Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness Alexandra Fuller braids a multi-layered narrative around the Happy Valley-era Africa of her mother's childhood; the grimness of her father's English childhood; and the darker, civil war-torn Africa of her own childhood. Born on the Scottish Isle of Skye and raised in Kenya, Nicola Fuller holds dear the kinds of values most likely to get you hurt or killed in Africa: loyalty to blood, passion for land and a holy belief in the restorative power of all animals. Fuller captures her mother's distinctive voice with remarkable precision, rendering a life story that is as funny, terrifying, exotic and unselfconscious as Nicola herself. We see Nicola and Tim Fuller in their honeymoon period, when East Africa lies before them with all the promise of its liquid equatorial light, even as the British Empire wanes. But in short order, an accumulation of mishaps and tragedies bump up against history until the couple find themselves in a world they hardly recognize. We follow the Fullers as they run from war and unspeakable heartbreak, from Kenya to Rhodesia to Zambia, even returning to England briefly. But just when it seems that Nicola has been broken entirely by Africa, it is the African earth itself that revives her. In the end we find Nicola and Tim at a coffee table under their Tree of Forgetfulness on the banana and fish farm where they plan to spend their final days. In local custom, the Tree is where villagers meet to resolve disputes--and it is here that the Fullers at last find an African kind of peace. Following the ghosts and dreams of memory, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is Alexandra Fuller at her very best.
Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Taylor, William C., PUBLISHER: William Morrow & Company, "Practically Radical" is a manifesto for change and a manual for making it happen--in an era when change is the name of the game. Businesspeople everywhere are engaging in a dramatic "rethink" of how they lead, work, and get results. In an age of fierce competition and stubborn recession, the status quo just doesn't cut it. But how do you break new ground when there is so much pressure to do things the same way as everyone else? Using his years of experience and thought leadership in the business world, the cofounder and founding editor of one of the world's most admired business magazines, "Fast Company," offers radical ideas and practical advice to help you fix what's wrong with your organization, launch new initiatives with the best chance to succeed, and rethink the logic of leadership itself. "Practically Radical" goes deep inside twenty-five for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations to find out how they've made remarkable strides in tough circumstances. They include IBM, Zappos, Swatch, the Girl Scouts, Interpol, big-city hospitals, fast-growing banks, and high-flying airlines. These organizations have answered the make-or-break questions facing leaders in every field: Do you see opportunities the competition doesn't see? The most successful organizations embrace one-of-a-kind ideas in a world filled with me-too thinking. Do you have new ideas about where to look for new ideas? Practices that are routine in one field can be revolutionary when they migrate to another field. Are you the most of anything? Companies used to be comfortable in the middle of the road. Today, the middle of the road is the road to ruin. Are you getting the best contributions from the most people? It may be lonely at the top, but change is not a game best played by loners.