Jackie Mason, one of the true kings of comedy, and his partner in crime, former federal prosecutor and celebrity attorney Raoul Felder, go after America's lowlifes, scumbags, and everyone else who really gets on their nerves. This book spares no one. Politicians, sports stars, celebrities, corporations, publishers, crossing guards—they're all fair game. If you are a Schmuck, or just someone who Jackie and Raoul find annoying, there is a fair chance you are on the list. Schmucks! combines Mason's and Felder's nails-to-the-wall political satire—impeccable timing with insightful observations on the foibles of modern life—to create material that will leave you crying with laughter. Just a few of the Schmucks included: Bill Clinton Mel Gibson Barbra Streisand Katie Couric Barry Bonds And a cast of hundreds

Published in 1986: The plant Cannabis sativa L. and its numerous preparations have been used as therapeutic agents for millenia. In the present book, the editor has tried to summarize the use in the past, to present an overview of modern research and applications to predict future developments.

The bible gives the impression that all ancient Jews shared a common belief system with only an occasional group straying from the fold. The evidence paints a different picture. As Dr Patai states, "it would be strange if the Hebrew-Jewish religion, which flourished for centuries in a region of intensive goddess cults, had remained immune to them." Archeologists have uncovered Hebrew settlements where the goddesses Asherah & Astarte-Anath were routinely worshipped. In fact, we find that for about 3000 years, the Hebrews worshipped female deities which were later eradicated only by extreme pressure of a male priesthood. Then there's the matter of the Cherubim that sat atop the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Fashioned by Phoenician craftsmen for Solomon & Ahab, an ivory tablet shows two winged females facing each other. One tablet shows male & female Cherubim embracing in an explicitly sexual position that embarrassed later Jewish historians. Even pagans were shocked when they saw it for the 1st time. This cult of the feminine goddess, tho often repressed, remained a part of the faith of the Jewish people. Goddesses answered the need for mother, lover, queen, intercessor & even today, lingers cryptically in the traditional Hebrew Sabbath invocation.--Utnapishtim (edited) Acknowledgments Introduction The Goddess Asherah Astarte-Anath The Cherubim The Shekhina The Kabbalistic Tetrad Matronit-The Goddess of the Kabbala Lilith The Sabbath-Virgin, Bride, Queen & Goddess Conclusion Appendix: The Goddess in the Dura Synagogue Notes Bibliography Index

Following a detailed introduction to the world of messianic ideology and its significance in Jewish history, The Messiah Texts traces the progress of the messianic legend from its biblical beginnings to contemporary expressions. Renowned scholar Raphael Patai has skillfully selected passages from a voluminous literature spanning three millennia. Using his own translations from Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Latin, and other original texts, Patai excerpts delightful folk tales, apocalyptic fantasies, and parables of prophetic power. All are central to the understanding of a magnificent heritage. patai also investigates the false messiahs who have appeared throughout Jewish history, the modern Messiah-influenced movements such as reform Judaism and Zionism, and the numerous reasons put forth by the various branches of Judaism as to why the Messiah has not yet appeared.

This book proves to atheists that they don't exist, reveals to agnostics their true motives, and strengthens the faith of the believers. This book answers questions such as Who made God? and Where did Cain get his wife? The book uses humor, reason, and logic to send a powerful message. Here are some reactions from atheists who read the book . . .

Text: English, French (translation)

In his most popular book since THE LADY OR THE TIGER? the grand vizier of the puzzle world gives us 1001 hours of brain-teasing fun. Smullyan includes wonderful old chestnuts and some fiendishly original puzzles, 225 in all. An absolute must for all puzzle fans from the middle-school whiz to the sophisticated matematician or computer scientist.

Rebecca Eckler is a popular newspaper columnist who lives the fabulous life and gets paid to write about it. So when a tipsy romp with her fiancé on the night of their lavish engagement party leaves her unexpectedly expecting, she is utterly at a loss. How will a woman who loves nothing more than a night out on the town sipping cocktails with her fellow party girls survive the pregnant life? Knocked Up is the witty, engaging and refreshingly frank chronicle of a modern woman's journey into motherhood. We follow Eckler from the first trimester (a.k.a. the longest three months of her life), through the "fat months" of the second trimester, on to the "even fatter months" of the third. Flipping the pages of this Bridget-Jones-style diary, we share in Eckler' s discovery of prenatal vitamins and nursing bras, ultrasounds and obstetricians. And we experience her growing horror at the physical symptoms of pregnancy: all-day "morning" sickness, fatigue, varicose veins, and cravings. And the weight gain, oh the weight gain. Who knew the day would come when she could no longer put on her own socks? Along for the ride is a cast of characters as comical as any met in fiction. There's the Sexy Young Intern, a Sophia Loren look-a-like with her skinny eyes set on Eckler's job; the glamorous friends who continue to drink Manhattans, while Eckler sips Perrier; and the Cute Single Man who knows just when she needs a carton of ice cream or a game of Scrabble. And then there's the fiancé, living in another city, who, thanks to the miracle of long-distance phone lines, appreciates better than anybody the highs and lows of the hormonal rollercoaster pregnant Eckler is on. Lighthearted, intimate, and very funny, Knocked Up is the diary of a modern mother-to-be determined not to let pregnancy and motherhood change her life. Not. One. Little. Bit.

Mazel means luck in Yiddish, and luck is the guiding force in this magical and mesmerizing novel that spans three generations. Sasha Saunders is the daughter of a Polish rabbi who abandons the shtetl and wins renown as a Yiddish actress in Warsaw and New York. Her daughter Chloe becomes a professor of classics at Columbia. Chloe's daughter Phoebe grows up to become a mathematician who is drawn to traditional Judaism and the sort of domestic life her mother and grandmother rejected.

From the award-winning writer-director of Personal Velocity comes a startling drama about the nature of family and the meaning of ideals In his first role since Gangs of New York , Daniel Day-Lewis plays Jack Slavin, an engineer who over thirty years ago walked away from the mainstream to live out a more deliberate life. But the island commune he began in hopes of a better future has long since imploded and he is now its final resident. Jack's only other companion is his 16-year-old daughter Rose (Camilla Belle), whom he has deliberately sheltered from the outside world. Now, beset by terminal illness, encroaching developers, and Rose's emerging womanhood, Jack faces troubling questions about the days ahead. In an attempt to provide his daughter with the kind of family she's never known, Jack invites Kathleen (Catherine Keener), the woman he's been secretly seeing on the mainland, and her sons to live with them. But rather than comforted, Rose feels betrayed and lashes out with a willful and deliberate retribution that places her innocence on the battlefield and Kathleen's safety in danger. His carefully constructed world flung out of control, Jack finds himself trapped between two headstrong women and forced to take action. With The Ballad of Jack and Rose , award-winning filmmaker Rebecca Miller has created a powerful and poetic third feature about a man who has cut himself off from a society that refuses to live up to his standards, and a young girl's sudden coming-of-age.

Inspired by medieval bestiaries, in which animals were presented in a fashion that favored the fanciful over the factual, Solnit and Caron have partnered to create their own book of magical beasts--one in which the truth is stranger than fiction. Deeply aware of how much animal lore feeds the language of human imagination, Solnit uses her unique literary prowess to describe native California animals in such a way that they become as thrilling as any exotic creature of yore. From the bluebelly lizard and the California condor to the elephant seal and tule elk, this wondrous cast of characters reveal the depth of their magic. Enriched by Caron's illustrations, which keenly explore the play between human and animal realms, this collection will feed your dreams. This book was created in partnership with the Oakland Zoo, which has just unveiled plans to create an ambitious native California animal exhibit where local species will be rehabilitated and cared for.

Distant relatives of modern lobsters, horseshoe crabs, and spiders, trilobites swam the planet’s prehistoric seas for 300 million years, from the Lower Cambrian to the end of the Permian eras—and they did so very capably. Trilobite fossils have been unearthed on every continent, with more than 20,000 species identified by science. One of the most arresting animals of our pre-dinosaur world, trilobites are also favorites among the fossil collectors of today, their crystalline eyes often the catalyst for a lifetime of paleontological devotion. And there is no collector more devoted—or more venerated—than Riccardo Levi-Setti. With The Trilobite Book , a much anticipated follow-up to his classic Trilobites , Levi-Setti brings us a glorious and revealing guide to these surreal arthropods of ancient Earth. Featuring specimens from Bohemia to Newfoundland, California to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, and Wales to the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Levi-Setti’s magnificent book reanimates these “butterflies of the seas” in 235 astonishing full-color photographs. All original, Levi-Setti’s images serve as the jumping-off point for tales of his global quests in search of these highly sought-after fossils; for discussions of their mineralogical origins, as revealed by their color; and for unraveling the role of the now-extinct trilobites in our planetary history. Sure to enthrall paleontologists with its scientific insights and amateur enthusiasts with its beautiful and informative images, The Trilobite Book combines the best of science, technology, aesthetics, and personal adventure. It will inspire new collectors for eras to come.

A New York Times bestselling author takes a rollicking, personal deep dive into the ultracompetitive world of youth hockey. Rich Cohen, the author of The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse and Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football , turns his attention to matters closer to home: his son’s elite Pee Wee hockey team and himself, a former player and a devoted hockey parent. In Pee Wees: Confessions of a Hockey Parent , Cohen takes us through a season of hard-fought competition in Fairfield County, Connecticut, an affluent suburb of New York City. Part memoir and part exploration of youth sports and the exploding popularity of American hockey, Pee Wees follows the ups and downs of the Ridgefield Bears, the twelve-year-old boys and girls on the team, and the parents watching, cheering, plotting, praying, and cursing in the stands. It is a book about the love of the game, the love of parents for their children, and the triumphs and struggles of both.

First edition published in 1988 : Law and literature : a misunderstood relation.

Richard Avedon and James Baldwin's landmark 1964 book finally back in print.

When a newspaper columnist and friend turns up dead, TV cop Richard Belzer is on the case, piecing together a series of mysterious deaths that, while rooted a quarter of a century in the past, present some very real dangers in the present.

Examines the first episode in which American power and good intentions came face-to-face with a powerful Asian revolutionary movement, and challenges familiar assumptions about the origins of modern Sino-American relations. As 1945 opened, America was on surprisingly congenial terms with China's Communist rebels--their soldiers treated their American counterparts as heroes, rescuing airmen shot down over enemy territory. Chinese leaders talked of a future in which American money and technology would help lift China out of poverty. Mao Zedong himself held friendly meetings with U.S. emissaries, vowing to them his intention of establishing an American-style democracy in China. By year's end, however, cordiality had been replaced by chilly hostility and distrust. Chinese Communist soldiers were setting ambushes for American marines in north China; Communist newspapers were portraying the United States as an implacable imperialist enemy; civil war in China was erupting. The pattern was set for a quarter century of almost total Sino-American mistrust, with the devastating wars in Korea and Vietnam among the consequences. Richard Bernstein here tells the incredible story of that year's sea change, brilliantly analyzing its many components, from ferocious infighting among U.S. diplomats, military leaders, and opinion makers to the complex relations between Mao and his patron, Stalin.--From publisher description

Richard Lewontin explores the complexity of human variation and tackles the controversial question: Are our personalities and capabilities predetermined by our genes? Answering with a resounding "no", Human Diversity makes the case that biological differences are only a small part of what makes individuals unique - anyone, regardless of race, class, or sex, has the potential to develop virtually any identity within the spectrum of humanity.

“A convincing case that careful analysis of the history, issues, individuals, and institutions can lead to better decisions—in business as well as in government” ( BusinessWeek ). Two noted professors offer easily remembered rules for using history effectively in day-to-day management of governmental and corporate affairs to avoid costly blunders. “An illuminating guide to the use and abuse of history in affairs of state” (Arthur Schlesinger).