rituals zensation
Viva el Amor: A Latino Wedding Planner
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Bautista, Edna R., PUBLISHER: Filter Press, The only book of its kind, this bilingual guide brings the ever-growing Latino audience information, tips, and advice on everything from introducing traditional rituals in a modern-day wedding to planning a "heritage honeymoon". A wedding is a wonderfully appropriate occasion to celebrate the cultural customs passed down through generations. Viva el amor is designed to help brides and their families discover -- and rediscover -- the wealth of Latino traditions that add depth and meaning to a wedding ceremony. In an entertaining and informative style, Edna R. Bautista explains the significance of such age-old customs as the coin thirteen (las arras) and the cord (el lazo) used in the ceremony, the selection of godparent-sponsors (padrinos), and the Latina-Catholic tradition of carrying three bridal bouquets. All the practical aspects of a making the day perfect are here, including: -- Preparing a wedding-planning calendar -- Setting up a reasonable budget and gift registry -- Attending to specific religious requirements -- Writing a bilingual service -- Devising a traditional Latino menu With suggestions for great honeymoons -- including exploring the ancient Aztec, Maya and Inca civilizations or cruising along the coastline of Spain -- ideas for fiesta foods, and more, this bilingual book is the only one that the Latina bride-to-be will need.
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Payne, Kim John / Ross, Lisa M., PUBLISHER: Ballantine Books, Today's busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood. With too much stuff, too many choices, and too little time, children can become anxious, have trouble with friends and school, or even be diagnosed with behavioral problems. Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that all" "kids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish. Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration, ideas, and a blueprint for change: - Streamline your home environment. Reduce the amount of toys, books, and clutter--as well as the lights, sounds, and general sensory overload. - Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ways to ease daily tensions, create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if your child is overwhelmed. - Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child's daily torrent of constant doing. - Scale back on media and parental involvement. Manage your children's "screen time" to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation. A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children.
Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause, and the
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Foster, Gaines M., PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, After Lee and Grant met at Appomatox Court House in to sign the document ending the long and bloody Civil War, the South at last had to face defeat as the dream of a Confederate nation melted into the Lost Cause. Through an examination of memoirs, personal papers, and postwar Confederate rituals such as memorial day observances, monument unveilings, and veterans' reunions, Ghosts of the Confederacy probes into how white southerners adjusted to and interpreted their defeat and explores the cultural implications of a central event in American history. Foster argues that, contrary to southern folklore, southerners actually accepted their loss, rapidly embraced both reunion and a New South, and helped to foster sectional reconciliation and an emerging social order. He traces southerners' fascination with the Lost Cause--showing that it was rooted as much in social tensions resulting from rapid change as it was in the legacy of defeat--and demonstrates that the public celebration of the war helped to make the South a deferential and conservative society. Although the ghosts of the Confederacy still haunted the New South, Foster concludes that they did little to shape behavior in it--white southerners, in celebrating the war, ultimately trivialized its memory, reduced its cultural power, and failed to derive any special wisdom from defeat.
Quinceanera]
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Salcedo, Michele, PUBLISHER: Henry Holt & Company, High Heels and lipstick. A beautiful ball gown. A bejeweled crown glistening in the spotlight as a father whirls a young girl out of childhood and into adolescence. One of the most beautiful and significant rituals in the Latino community, the quinceanera is a special birthday party, an all-day cultural and social event that begins a Latina's passage into womanhood at age fifteen. Though some scholars trace its roots back to ancient Indian civilizations, the celebration is becoming increasingly popular among the 25 million Hispanics who live in this country today. This handsome volume is the first book specially designed to help mothers, daughters, and grandmothers plan and create a quinces that will rival any fairy tale. Its fifteen chapters present hundreds of ideas for handling all the important details, from choosing the "Court of Honor" -- the fourteen boys and girls attending the honoree -- to selecting invitations, attire, decorations, music, and more. A comprehensive Resource Guide tells readers where to find dresses, caterers, photographers, and other services across the country. With sixteen pages of beautiful color photographs, and traditions drawn from Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Central and South American cultures, Quinceanera will make an exquisite gift book for one of the most memorable days in a Hispanic girl's life.
The Qur'an
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Haleem, Muhammad A. S. Abdel, PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, One of the most influential books in the history of literature, recognized as the greatest literary masterpiece in Arabic, the Qur'an is the supreme authority and living source of all Islamic teaching, the sacred text that sets out the creed, rituals, ethics, and laws of Islam. Yet despite the growing interest in Islamic teachings and culture, there has never been a truly satisfactory English translation of the Qur'an, until now. This superb new translation of the Qur'an is written in contemporary language that remains faithful to the meaning and spirit of the original, making the text crystal clear while retaining all of this great work's eloquence. The translation is accurate and completely free from the archaisms, incoherence, and alien structures that mar existing translations. Thus, for the first time, English-speaking readers will have a text of the Qur'an which is easy to use and comprehensible. Furthermore, Haleem includes notes that explain geographical, historical, and personal allusions as well as an index in which Qur'anic material is arranged into topics for easy reference. His introduction traces the history of the Qur'an, examines its structure and stylistic features, and considers issues related to militancy, intolerance, and the subjection of women. Clearly written and filled with helpful information and guidance, this brilliant translation of the Qur'an is the best available introduction to the faith of Moslems around the world.
Last Breath: A Novel of Suspense
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Stewart, Mariah, PUBLISHER: Ballantine Books, You've taken your Last Look. You've spoken your Last Words. Now prepare to surrender your Last Breath to New York Times" "bestselling author Mariah Stewart, in this tour de force of suspense, romance, and action. As renowned archaeologist Dr. Daria McGowan readies the most important project of her career-a University museum exhibit showcasing the priceless artifacts her great-grandfather unearthed a century earlier in the Middle East-she makes a shocking discovery: many of the most significant pieces have vanished. Panicked, Daria turns to the FBI. Solving the mystery is an assignment that Connor Shields is more than happy to accept: Daria is the same intriguing blonde archaeologist he's had on his mind since their paths first crossed two years ago. Working together to track down the stolen artifacts, Daria and Connor discover a trail of bodies-collectors who have met brutal, bizarre ends at the hands of a killer whose murderous methods are based on the rituals of an ancient civilization. Amid rumors of a curse and mounting pressure from both the FBI and the University, Daria and Connor race to unmask their enemy and unravel a mystery stretching across oceans and centuries. All the while, an ingenious murderer follows a sinister plan to gather the coveted antiquities and one last acquisition-Daria.
Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Dever, William G., PUBLISHER: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Following up on his two recent, widely acclaimed studies of ancient Israelite history and society, William Dever here reconstructs the practice of religion in ancient Israel from the bottom up. Archaeological excavations reveal numerous local and family shrines where sacrifices and other rituals were carried out. Intrigued by this "folk religion" in all its variety and vitality, Dever writes about ordinary people in ancient Israel and their everyday religious lives. "Did God Have a Wife?" shines new light on the presence and influence of women's cults in early Israel and their implications for our understanding of Israel's official "Book religion." Dever pays particular attention to the goddess Asherah, reviled by the authors of the Hebrew Bible as a foreign deity but, in the view of many modern scholars, popularly envisioned in early Israel as the consort of biblical Yahweh. His work also gives new prominence to women as the custodians of Israel's folk religion. The first book by an archaeologist on ancient Israelite religion, this fascinating study critically reviews virtually all of the archaeological literature of the past generation, while also bringing fresh evidence to the table. Though Dever digs deep into the past, his discussion is extensively illustrated, unencumbered by footnotes, and vivid with colorful insights. Meant for professional and general audiences alike, "Did God Have a Wife?" is sure to spur wide and passionate debate. Acquista Ora
Inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Morely, Jacqueline / Morley, Jacqueline / James, John, PUBLISHER: Enchanted Lion Books, In the "Inside... series, history and discovery, architecture and engineering combine to bring the past to life in a unique and fascinating way. Filled with full-color, cut-away illustrations, picture strips, photographs and informative text, each volume takes us "inside," either a structure or a city, a natural phenomenon or an idea. This "inside look" provides a novel way of learning about history and culture. Inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun takes the young reader on a fascinating journey of discovery. Beginning with an overview of life in ancient Egypt and an encounter with Tutankhamun as a boy and a young pharaoh, Inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun moves through the archaeological discovery of the Valley of the Kings and it excavation, to the momentous discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. From a dramatic cutaway of the tomb as it was found, we are taken on a visually splendid trip through the antechamber into the burial chamber, where we are shown guardian statues and great shrines, as well as Tutankhamun as he was found when his coffin was opened, wearing a magnificent funeral mask and wrapped and bound with amulets. These pages also introduce the reader to the process of mummification as well as the rituals of the afterlife, such as the opening of the mouth ceremony. Having taken us through the drama and details of the excavation and explored the contents of the tomb, Inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun leaves us pondering over tomb robbers and Tut-mania. Throughout the book, informative text, stunningly detailed illustrations and well-placed photographs reveal the worlds of the living and the dead. With a time chart, a glossary and an index, Inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun is both educationaland engaging.
Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Lindsay, James E., PUBLISHER: Hackett Publishing Company, From the time of its birth in Mecca in the 7th century C.E., Islam and the Islamic world rapidly expanded outward, extending to Spain and West Africa in the west, and to Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent in the east. An examination of the daily life in these Islamic regions provides insight into a civilized, powerful, and economically stable culture, where large metropolitan centers such as Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo thrived in many areas, including intellectual and scientific inquiry. In contrast with medieval Europe, there is little common knowledge in the West of the culture and history of this vibrant world, as different from our own in terms of the political, religious, and social values it possessed, as it is similar in terms of the underlying human situation that supports such values. This book provides an intimate look into the daily life of the medieval Islamic world, and is thus an invaluable resource for students and general readers alike interested in understanding this world, so different, and yet so connected, to our own. Chapters include discussions of: the major themes of medieval Islamic history; Arabia, the world of Islamic origins; warfare and politics; the major cities of Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo; religious rituals and worship; and a section on "curious and entertaining information." Author James E. Lindsay further provides a focused look at the daily lives of urban Muslims during this time period, and of their interactions with Jews, Christians and other Muslims. Timelines, tables (including a calendar conversion to align the Islamic lunar and the Christian solar dates, and a dynastic table highlighting the major genealogies of the ancient rulingfamilies), a bibliography, and a glossary of important dates and technical terms are also provided to assist the reader.
Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Laderman, Gary, PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, Though it has often been passionately criticized--as fraudulent, exploitative, even pagan--the American funeral home has become nearly as inevitable as death itself, an institution firmly embedded in our culture. But how did the funeral home come to hold such a position? What is its history? And is it guilty of the charges sometimes leveled against it? In Rest in Peace, Gary Laderman traces the origins of American funeral rituals, from the evolution of embalming techniques during and after the Civil War and the shift from home funerals to funeral homes at the turn of the century, to the increasing subordination of priests, ministers, and other religious figures to the funeral director throughout the twentieth century. In doing so he shows that far from manipulating vulnerable mourners, as Jessica Mitford claimed in her best-selling The American Way of Death (), funeral directors are highly respected figures whose services reflect the community's deepest needs and wishes. Indeed, Laderman shows that funeral directors generally give the people what they want when it is time to bury our dead. He reveals, for example, that the open casket, often criticized as barbaric, provides a deeply meaningful moment for friends and family who must say goodbye to their loved one. But he also shows how the dead often come back to life in the popular imagination to disturb the peace of the living. Drawing upon interviews with funeral directors, major historical events like the funerals of John F. Kennedy and Rudolf Valentino, films, television, newspaper reports, proposals for funeral reform, and other primary sources, Rest in Peace cuts through the rhetoric to show us the reality--and the real cultural value--of the American funeral.
The Qur'an
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Haleem, M. A. S. Abdel, PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, One of the most influential books in the history of literature, recognized as the greatest literary masterpiece in Arabic, the Qur'an is the supreme authority and living source of all Islamic teaching, the sacred text that sets out the creed, rituals, ethics, and laws of Islam. Yet despite the growing interest in Islamic teachings and culture, there has never been a truly satisfactory English translation of the Qur'an, until now. This superb new translation of the Qur'an is written in contemporary language that remains faithful to the meaning and spirit of the original, making the text crystal clear while retaining all of this great work's eloquence. The translation is accurate and completely free from the archaisms, incoherence, and alien structures that mar existing translations. Thus, for the first time, English-speaking readers will have a text of the Qur'an which is easy to use and comprehensible. Furthermore, Haleem includes notes that explain geographical, historical, and personal allusions as well as an index in which Qur'anic material is arranged into topics for easy reference. His introduction traces the history of the Qur'an, examines its structure and stylistic features, and considers issues related to militancy, intolerance, and the subjection of women. Clearly written and filled with helpful information and guidance, this brilliant translation of the Qur'an is the best available introduction to the faith of Moslems around the world. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Collezione black/death/industrial e pezzi singoli
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Political Culture and Secession in Mississippi: Masculinity,
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Olsen, Christopher J., PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, This groundbreaking study of the politics of secession combines traditional political history with current work in anthropology and gender and ritual studies. Christopher J. Olsen has drawn on local election returns, rural newspapers, manuscripts, and numerous county records to sketch a new picture of the intricate and colorful world of local politics. In particular, he demonstrates how the move toward secession in Mississippi was deeply influenced by the demands of masculinity within the state's antiparty political culture. Face-to-face relationships and personal reputations, organized around neighborhood networks of friends and extended kin, were at the heart of antebellum Mississippi politics. The intimate, public nature of this tradition allowed voters to assess each candidate's individual status and fitness for public leadership. Key virtues were independence and physical courage, as well as reliability and loyalty to the community, and the political culture offered numerous chances to demonstrate all of these (sometimes contradictory) qualities. Like dueling and other male rituals, voting and running for office helped set the boundaries of class and power. They also helped mediate the conflicts between nineteenth-century American egalitarianism, democracy, and geographic mobility, and the South's exaggerated patriarchal hierarchy, sustained by honor and slavery. The political system, however, functioned effectively only as long as it remained a personal exercise between individuals, divorced from the anonymity of institutional parties. This antiparty tradition eliminated the distinction between men as individuals and as public representatives, which caused them to assessand interpret all political events and rhetoric in a personal manner. The election of and success of the Republicans' antisouthern, free soil program, therefore, presented an "insulting" challenge to personal, family, and community honor. As Olsen shows in detail, the sectional controversy engaged men where they measured themselves, in public, with and against their peers, and linked their understanding of masculinity with formal politics, through which the voters actually brought about secession. Political Culture and Secession in Mississippi provides a rich new perspective on the events leading up to the Civil War and will prove an invaluable tool for understanding the central crisis in American politics.
Loyalty: An Essay on the Morality of Relationships
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Fletcher, George P., PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, At a time when age-old political structures are crumbling, civil strife abounds, and economic uncertainty permeates the air, loyalty offers us security in our relationships with associates, friends, and family. Yet loyalty is a suspect virtue. It is not impartial. It is not blind. It violates the principles of morality that have dominated Western thought for the last two hundred years. Loyalties are also thought to be irrational and contrary to the spirit of Capitalism. In a free market society, we are encouraged to move to the competition when we are not happy. This way of thinking has invaded our personal relationships and undermined our capacities for friendship and loyalty to those who do not serve our immediate interests. As George P. Fletcher writes, it is time for loyal bonds, born of history and experience, to prevail both over impartial morality and the self-interested thinking of the market trader. In this extended essay, George P. Fletcher offers an account of loyalty that illuminates its role in our relationships with family and friends, our ties to country, and the commitment of the religious to God and their community. Fletcher opposes the traditional view of the moral self as detached from context and history. He argues instead that loyalty, not impartial detachment, should be the central feature of our moral and political lives. Writing as a political "liberal," he claims that a commitment to country is necessary to improve the lot of the poor and disadvantaged. This commitment to country may well require greater reliance on patriotic rituals in education and a reconsideration of the Supreme Court's extending the First Amendment to protect flag burning. Given the worldwide currents of parochialism and political decentralization, the task for us, Fletcher argues, is to renew our commitment to a single nation united in its diversity. Bringing to bear his expertise as a law professor, Fletcher reasons that the legal systems should defer to existing relationships of loyalty. Familial, professional, and religious loyalties should be respected as relationships beyond the limits of the law. Thus surrogate mothers should not be forced to surrender and betray their children, spouses should not be required to testify against each other in court, parents should not be prevented from willing their property to their children, and the religiously committed should not be forced to act contrary to conscience. Yet the question remains: Aren't loyalty, and particularly patriotism, dangerously one-sided? Indeed, they are, but no more than are love and friendship. The challenge, Fletcher maintains, is to overcome the distorting effects of impartial morality and to develop a morality of loyalty properly suited to our emotional and spiritual lives. Justice has its sphere, as do loyalties. In this book, Fletcher provides the first step toward a new way of thinking that recognizes the complexity of our moral and political lives.
Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Buxton, Bill, PUBLISHER: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Bill Buxton and I share a common belief that design leadership together with technical leadership drives innovation. Sketching, prototyping, and design are essential parts of the process we use to create new products. Bill Buxton brings design leadership and creativity to Microsoft. Through his thought-provoking personal examples he is inspiring others to better understand the role of design in their own companies--Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft "Informed design is essential." While it might seem that Bill Buxton is exaggerating or kidding with this bold assertion, neither is the case. In an impeccably argued and sumptuously illustrated book, design star Buxton convinces us that design simply must be integrated into the heart of business--Roger Martin, Dean, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto Design is explained, with the means and manner for successes and failures illuminated by engaging stories, true examples and personal anecdotes. In Sketching User Experiences, Bill Buxton clarifies the processes and skills of design from sketching to experience modeling, in a lively and informative style that is rich with stories and full of his own heart and enthusiasm. At the start we are lost in mountain snows and northern seas, but by the end we are equipped with a deep understanding of the tools of creative design.--Bill Moggridge, Cofounder of IDEO and author of Designing Interactions "Like any secret society, the design community has its strange rituals and initiation procedures. Bill opens up the mysteries of the magical process of design, taking us through a land in which story-telling, orange squeezers, the Wizard of Oz, I-pods, avalanche avoidance, bicycle suspension sketching, and faking it are all points on the design pilgrim's journey. There are lots of ideas and techniques in this book to feed good design and transform the way we think about creating useful stuff." -Peter Gabriel I love this book. There are very few resources available that see across and through all of the disciplines involved in developing great experiences. This is complex stuff and Buxton's work is both informed and insightful. He shares the work in an intimate manner that engages the reader and you will find yourself nodding with agreement, and smiling at the poignant relevance of his examples.--Alistair Hamilton, Symbol Technologies, NY Books that have proposed bringing design into HCI are aplenty, though books that propose bringing software in to Design less common. Nevertheless, Bill manages to skilfully steer a course between the excesses of the two approaches and offers something truly in-between. It could be a real boon to the innovation business by bringing the best of both worlds: design and HCI. --Richard Harper, Microsoft Research, Cambridge There is almost a fervor in the way that new products, with their rich and dynamic interfaces, are being released to the public-typically promising to make lives easier,
Dream of the Blue Room
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Richmond, Michelle, PUBLISHER: MacAdam/Cage Publishing, On a warm night in July, thirty-two-year-old Jenny finds herself sitting on the deck of a Chinese cruise ship next to a charming but secretive stranger. Her husband, Dave, is down in their cabin sleeping, and in Jenny's lap is a cookie tin containing the ashes of her best friend, Amanda Ruth, brutally murdered fourteen years earlier. In this foreign landscape filled with ancient cities and doomed villages, removed from the comforts and rituals of home, Jenny must confront her haunted past and decide the direction of her future. Dream of the Blue Room explores the nature of friendship and the deep intimacy that often exists between young friends as they struggle toward adulthood. Set against the impressive landscape of the Yangtze River, the novel encompasses the dramatic changes of our world and the results of the human desire to control and tame what is ultimately untamable. No matter where I travel, I find that my fiction inevitably comes home, somehow, to the Southern landscape of my childhood. That is exactly what happened in Dream of the Blue Room. In the summer of , on a sleeper bus traveling through Northern China, I met a Chinese geologist, who lay on the adjacent bunk and related to me in soft tones his concerns about the Three Gorges Dam. As the bus trundled over bumpy dirt roads, a red moon rising in the black sky, I was struck by an almost overwhelming sense of the strange. That night, I tried to trace the events that conspired to propel the trajectory of my life in that direction. I found myself thinking, "How did I get here?" Over time, the question ceased to be one of fact, and instead became the driving force of a fiction. As I began to write about the Yangtze,another, smaller river took shape in my mind: a river in Alabama that feeds into the Gulf. On the banks of this hot, winding river, two girls fall in love. One of them, a Chinese-American, is murdered, and there is the beginning of our story. I've always been a little obsessed with the concept of obsession, especially as it pertains to love. And I'm mystified by the way childhood friendships so often rival in intensity and depth any relationships we have as adults. Dream of the Blue Room is a novel about obsession, about the ways we are haunted by people dead and gone. And it is about the places to which we are bound, not merely by birth, but by other, messier means. Michelle Richmond is an amazing author who has written a gentle Southern novel, which just happens to be set on a river in China--no small feat. She's a wonderful storyteller, both on the printed page and while trading anecdotes in a bar on a rainy afternoon.--P.W.