Author: Reshef Agam-Segal File Type: pdf Wittgensteins work, early and later, contains the seeds of an original and important rethinking of moral or ethical thought that has, so far, yet to be fully appreciated. The ten essays in this collection, all specially commissioned for this volume, are united in the claim that Wittgensteins thought has much to contribute to our understanding of this fundamental area of philosophy and of our lives. They take up a variety of different perspectives on this aspect of Wittgensteins work, and explore the significance of Wittgensteins moral thought throughout his work, from the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, and Wittgensteins startling claim there that there can be no ethical propositions, to the Philosophical Investigations. **

Author: Consantine P. Cavafy File Type: epub Constantine Cavafy is considered the greatest of modern Greek poets. His poems treat historical, philosophical, and erotic themes, sometimes altogether, and share a unique voice. This volume includes a fresh translation by noted classical scholar Alan Boegehold, a translation that captures the style as well as the meaning of the Greek, and a foreword discussing Cavafys distinctive values.**ReviewThere are many English translations of the work of the Alexandrian Greek poet C.P. Cavafy (18631933), and the coincidence of two recent translations, one much discussed and one more obscure, illustrates why. Famous for his poems of erotic longing and regret, Cavafy writes about the Greek past as if it were a personal memory, as indeed it was for he made it so. We see this in his poems about Julian (Roman emperor, born in 361 BC in Constantinople, the half-brother of Constantine the Great). Called The Apostate, Julian, raised a Christian, converted and cracked down on the paganism of contemporary Christians in Antioch. As historian Glenn Bowersock has written in his indispensable From Gibbon to Auden Essays on the Classical Tradition (Oxford, 240 pages, $45), Antioch with its traditional style of life was the kind of city in which he longed to live--for in his own day, homosexuality remained a scandal and a crime. Even with Bowersocks help, reading Cavafy is a personal thing. Take the new translations by Daniel Mendelsohn in two volumes C. P. Cavafy Collected Poems (Knopf, 547 pages, $35) and C. P. Cavafy The Unfinished Poems (Knopf 119 pages $30). Mendelsohn attempts to render the complex stylistic mix of the original, and, within the parameters set by English, may be felt to do so. Julian and the Antiochenes opens Was it ever possible for them to give up their beautiful way of life the rich array of their daily entertainments their glorious theatre where was born a union of Art and the erotic predilections of the flesh! Compare this to the translation by Alan L. Boegehold in Cavafy 166 Poems (Axios Press, 240 pages, $18) Was it possible ever for them to disown their beautiful life, their mix of daily entertainments their luminous theatre where Art joined the erotic tendencies of flesh? Boegeholds versions startle one with a tough lyric fierceness as well as wisdom his Cavafy is indeed something precious and real. Through a mixture of Latinate and Germanicroot words, both translators attempt the rich diction of the original Greek. Mendelsohns longer line allows the stanza to breath a little easier in keeping with the luxurious topic. Behind the difference, however, is interpretation. Reading Cavafy in these translations is profoundly personal and ultimately rewarding. In his poems, the presense of Cavafys past--and it goes back centuries--is positively Proustian. --Providence (RI) Journal Bulletin, August 28, 2009

Author: Andrea McDonnell File Type: pdf Americans are obsessed with celebrities. While our fascination with fame intensified throughout the twentieth century, the rise of the weekly gossip magazine in the early 2000s confirmed and fueled our popular cultures celebrity mania. After a decade of diets and dates, breakups and baby bumps, celebrity gossip magazines continue to sell millions of issues each week. Why are readers, especially young women, so attracted to these magazines? What pleasures do they offer us? And why do we read them, even when we disagree with the images of femininity that they splash across their hot-pink covers? Andrea McDonnell answers these questions with the help of interviews from editors and readers, and her own textual and visual analysis. McDonnells perspective is multifaceted she examines the notorious narratives of celebrity gossip magazines as well as the genres core features, such as the Just Like Us photo montage and the Who Wore It Best? poll. McDonnell shows that, despite their trivial reputation, celebrity gossip magazines serve as an important site of engagement for their readers, who use these texts to generate conversation, manage relationships, and consider their own ideas and values.**

Author: Catherine A. Toft File Type: pdf Parrots of the Wild explores recent scientific discoveries and what they reveal about the lives of wild parrots, which are among the most intelligent and rarest of birds. Catherine A. Toft and Tim Wright discuss the evolutionary history of parrots and how this history affects perceptual and cognitive abilities, diet and foraging patterns, and mating and social behavior. The authors also discuss conservation status and the various ways different populations are adapting to a world that is rapidly changing. The book focuses on general patterns across the 350-odd species of parrots, as well as what can be learned from interesting exceptions to these generalities. A synthetic account of the diversity and ecology of wild parrots, this book distills knowledge from the authors own research and from their review of more than 2,400 published scientific studies. The book is enhanced by an array of illustrations, including nearly ninety color photos of wild parrots represented in their natural habitats. Parrots of the Wild melds scientific exploration with features directed at the parrot enthusiast to inform and delight a broad audience.**