While fashions of the rich and famous have been endlessly chronicled, little attention has been paid to the meaning of clothes for everyone else. Yet... between 1890 and 1940, as ready-to-wear came into its own, fashion for ordinary Americans played an increasingly important role in shaping the national character. Drawing on advertisements and health manuals, sermons and songs, acclaimed historian Jenna Weissman Joselit shows how the length of a woman's skirt, the shape of a man's hat, and the height of a pair of heels enabled citizens of every faith, color, and class to feel part of the modern nation. Engaging, imaginative, and original, A Perfect Fit uncovers a time in our history when getting dressed was more about fitting in than standing out.

Climate change is arguably the great problem confronting humanity, but we have done little to head off this looming catastrophe. In The Perfect Moral... Storm, philosopher Stephen Gardiner illuminates our dangerous inaction by placing the environmental crisis in an entirely new light, considering it as an ethical failure. Gardiner clarifies the moral situation, identifying the temptations (or "storms") that make us vulnerable to a certain kind of corruption. First, the world's most affluent nations are tempted to pass on the cost of climate change to the poorer and weaker citizens of the world. Second, the present generation is tempted to pass the problem on to future generations. Third, our poor grasp of science, international justice, and the human relationship to nature helps to facilitate inaction. As a result, we are engaging in willful self-deception when the lives of future generations, the world's poor, and even the basic fabric of life on the planet is at stake. We should wake up to this profound ethical failure, Gardiner concludes, and demand more of our institutions, our leaders and ourselves.

In the sixteenth century, one of the world's most precious commodities was cochineal, a legendary red dye treasured by the ancient Mexicans and sold in... the great Aztec marketplaces, where it attracted the attention of the Spanish conquistadors. Shipped to Europe, the dye created a sensation, producing the brightest, strongest red the world had ever seen. Soon Spain's cochineal monopoly was worth a fortune. As the English, French, Dutch, and other Europeans joined the chase for cochineal -- a chase that lasted for more than three centuries -- a tale of pirates, explorers, alchemists, scientists, and spies unfolds. A Perfect Red evokes with style and verve this history of a grand obsession, of intrigue, empire, and adventure in pursuit of the most desirable color on earth.

"Delightful and discerning . . . In this evocative study a remarkable woman, creator of the 'first lady' role, comes vividly to life."--The New York... TimesWhen the roar of the Revolution had finally died down, a new generation of politicians was summoned to the Potomac to assemble the nation's capital. Into that unsteady atmosphere--which would soon enough erupt into another conflict with Britain--Dolley Madison arrived, alongside her husband, James. Within a few years, she had mastered both the social and political intricacies of the city, and by her death in 1849 was the most celebrated person in Washington. And yet, to most Americans, she's best known for saving a portrait from the burning White House. Why did her contemporaries so admire a lady so little known today? In A Perfect Union, acclaimed historian Catherine Allgor reveals how Dolley manipulated the contstraints of her gender to construct an American democratic ruling style and to achieve her husband's political goals. By emphasizing cooperation over coercion--building bridges instead of bunkers--she left us with not only an important story about our past but a model for a modern form of politics.

.1 a"In a perfect vacuum, Stanislaw Lem presents a collection of book reviews of nonexistent works of literature - works that, in many cases, could not... possibly be written. Embracing postmodernism's "games for games' sake" ethos, Lem joins the contest with hilarious and grotesque results."--BOOK JACKET. "Most of the "reviews" target the postmodern infatuation with antinarratives by lampooning their self-indulgence and exploiting their mannerisms. Lem exposes the limits of postmodern fiction, showing how its studious self-consciousness frequently conceals intellectual paucity. Beginning with a review of his own book, Lem moves on to tackle (or create pastiches of) the French new novel, James Joyce, pornography, authorless writing, and Dostoevsky, while at the same time ranging across scientific topics, from cosmology to the pervasiveness of computers."--BOOK J

(Applause Acting Series). A Performer Prepares is a 13-part master class on how to perform on any stage from bleak rehearsal room to the Palace... Theatre. The class covers the basic Broadway song numbers, from show ballad to showstopper. With precise, logical steps and dynamic and entertaining dialogues between himself and his students, David Craig takes anyone with the desire to shine from an audition to final curtain call. These lessons on the pages recreate as closely as possible the unique interpersonal dyamic of Craig's legendary coaching encounters in New York, Los Angeles and across the country.

What are the consequences of prolonged exposure to the mental and emotional sufferings of others? In what ways can the practice of psychotherapy impede... a person's ability to form healthy, fulfilling personal relationships? Is it true that psychotherapists are unusually prone to mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual acting out, workaholism, and suicide? Is there something about people who are drawn to a life in psychotherapy that puts them at higher risk of developing certain behavioral disorders?Now in a candid and revealing look into the private and professional lives of psychotherapists, a group of noted practitioners attempt to answer these and other hard questions about the women and men who pursue this most perilous of callings.Throughout the pages of this fascinating book, nearly thirty psychotherapists--including psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, and social workers--provide intimate, at times painfully frank, accounts of their inner experiences and struggles. In a series of compelling first-person narratives, written in a variety of styles, they explore such topics as the therapist's personal development and unconscious motivations for becoming a therapist, the emotional impact of clinical work on the psychotherapist, the stresses and strains that the practice of psychotherapy can exert on a marriage, parenting and psychotherapy, disillusionment and the physical and psychic isolation of clinical work, the struggles of therapists who suffer from characterological problems of their own, and the extreme perils of dealing with suicidal patients. They also delve into a number of important professional, ethical, and legal hazards practitioners face in this age of the medical "quick-fix."A Perilous Calling offers readers unparalleled insight into the psychotherapist's deepest concerns and conflicts. It reveals the perils of practice and candidly explores how some psychotherapists have learned to cope with them. In reading this book, professionals will learn how to take better care of themselves both in their professional and personal lives and will find new ways to transform those perils into opportunities for growth and mastery. At the same time, their patients, friends, and loved ones will gain a deeper understanding of these complex and uniquely caring individuals.

Set in the southern Persian town of Shiraz in the last years of World War II with the British army in occupation, the novel chronicles the life of Zari,... a traditional, anxious, and superstitious woman whose husband, Yusef  is an idealistic feudal landlord.  A web of political intrigue and hostility is created.  In the background, tribal leaders are in open rebellion against the government and British occupation.  In the midst of this turbulence Zari carries on normal life within the beautiful courtyard of her house, attempting to keep the family safe from external events.  The corruption engendered by occupation is pervasive as Zari's family life is shattered and disaster strikes. An immensely moving story, the novel is a powerful indictment of colonization.

Two highly influential writers of satirical poetry in the early Roman Empire, Persius and Juvenal are universally admired and enjoyed for the mordant... wit and biting irony with which they exposed contemporary life and abuses under the notorious emperors Nero and Domitian. This new and revised edition--the first since the original publication in 1959--conveniently brings together both poets in a single volume, and contains, along with a freshly amended version of the text, a concise apparatus criticus at the foot of each page and a full Preface, giving a comprehensive overview of the state of the text in light of recent scholarship.

Jonathan Kozol has been a leading educational critic and social activist since 1967 when Death at an Early Age, his book about racism in Boston's... schools, was published and won a National Book Award. Since then, Kozol has written eleven more books which focus on such issues as segregation in schools and society, poverty, inequitable school funding, effective teaching and curriculum choices that help create good citizens and good learners, teacher leadership in matters related to social justice, literacy, and homelessness. This book organizes Kozol's texts by topic, analyzes his perspective and proposed solutions for the issue under review, and examines the contemporary status of those issues to determine the continuing relevance of Kozol's ideas today. A Persistent Reformer is a critical read for pre-service and in-service teachers, graduate students, administrators, and anyone concerned about educational reform today.

Oe’s most important novel, A Personal Matter, has been called by The New York Times “close to a perfect novel.” In A Personal Matter, Oe has chosen... a difficult, complex though universal subject: how does one face and react to the birth of an abnormal child? Bird, the protagonist, is a young man of 27 with antisocial tendencies who more than once in his life, when confronted with a critical problem, has “cast himself adrift on a sea of whisky like a besotted Robinson Crusoe.” But he has never faced a crisis as personal or grave as the prospect of life imprisonment in the cage of his newborn infant-monster. Should he keep it? Dare he kill it? Before he makes his final decision, Bird’s entire past seems to rise up before him, revealing itself to be a nightmare of self-deceit. The relentless honesty with which Oe portrays his hero — or antihero — makes Bird one of the most unforgettable characters in recent fiction.

Aperture 139Strong HeartsSpring 1995Photographers:Nancy Ackerman, Walter Bigbee, Ken Blackbird, Ron Carraher, Pamela Shields Carroll, Joseph Concha,... Jesse Cooday, Patricia Deadman, Monica Godoy, John C. H. Grabill, Jeremy Huesers, Zig Jackson, April Jiron, Rose Jones, Ronald Jr. Lewis, George Longfish, James Luna, Lee Marmon, Larry McNeil, David Neel, Bethany Nez, Horace Poolaw, Winnie Poolaw, Jolene Rickard, Monty Roessel, Leslie Marmon Silko, Greg Staats, John Stands, Maggie Steber, John Thomson, Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, Carm Little Turtle, Schyle Vaughn, Richard Ray Whitman

Professional and amateur photographers alike can take advantage of the advanced photo management tools in Aperture from organization to editing to... output. In Aperture 1.5 Beyond the Basics, instructors Scott Bourne and Derrick Story teach users how to manipulate photos with the Color Adjustment tool, sharpen edges, and create preset adjustments and file settings for efficient editing and grouping. The training also details how to use the extensive metadata and organizational features in Aperture for smart photo sorting and presentation.Topics Include:Learning the new features in the latest version of ApertureUnderstanding Aperture workflow essentials Importing images Exporting metadata and XMP sidecar data Using the loupe for noise reduction and sharpening Working with third party plug-insExtending Aperture using AutomatorDuration: 3.5 hoursOn 1 DVD-ROM

This study of disease among the native peoples of the New World before and after 1492 challenges many widely held notions about encounters between... European and native peoples. Whereas many late twentieth century scholars blamed the catastrophic decline of postconquest native populations on the introduction of previously unknown infections from the Old World, Alchon argues that the experiences of native peoples in the New World closely resembled those of other human populations. Exposure to lethal new infections resulted in rates of morbidity and mortality among native Americans comparable to tose found among Old World populations.Why then did native American populations decline by 75 to 90 percent in the century following contact with Europeans? Why did these populations fail to recover, in contrast to those of Africa, Asia, and Europe? Alchon points to the practices of European colonialism. Warfare and slavery increased mortality, and forced migrations undermined social, political, and economic institutions.This timely study effectively overturns the notion of New World exceptionalism. By showing that native Americans were not uniquely affected by European diseases, Alchon also undercuts the stereotypical notion of the Americas as a new Eden, free of disease and violence until the intrusion of germ-laden, rapacious Europeans.