Author: Jorie Graham File Type: epub How I would like to catch the world at pure idea, writes Jorie Graham, for whom a bird may be an alphabet, and flight an arc. Whatever the occasion--and her work offers a rich profusion of them--the poems reach to where possession is not within us, where new names are needed and meaning enlarged. Hence, what she sees reminds her of what is missing, and what she knows suggests what she cannot. From any event, she arcs bravely into the farthest reaches of mind. Fast readers will have trouble, but so what. To the good reader afraid of complexity, I would offer the clear trust that must bond us to such signal poems as (simply to cite three appearing in a row) Mothers Sewing Box, For My Father Looking for My Uncle, and The Chicory Comes Out Late August in Umbria. Finally, the poets words again . . . you get just what you want and (just before that), Just as from time to time we need to seize again the whole language in search of better desires.--Marvin Bell**

Author: Jr. Stuart Taylor File Type: pdf The United States Supreme Courts 200203 term confounded Court watchers. The same Rehnquist Court that many had seen as solidly conservative and unduly activistthe Court that helped decide the 2000 presidential election and struck down thirty-one federal statutes since 1995issued a set of surprising, watershed rulings. In a term filled with important and unpredictable decisions, it upheld affirmative action, invalidated a same-sex sodomy statute, and reversed a death sentence due to ineffective assistance of counsel. With essays focused on individual Justices, Court practices, and some of last years most important rulings, this volume explores the meaning and significance of the Courts 200203 term. Seasoned Supreme Court advocates and journalists from The New Republic, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, National Journal, Slate, and Legal Times grapple with questions about the Rehnquist Courts identity and the Supreme Courts role in the political life of the country.Some essays consider the role of swing Justices Sandra Day OConnor and Anthony Kennedy within a Court that divides 54 more than any other group of Justices in the nations history. Others examine the political reaction to and legal context of the Courts Lawrence v. Texas decision declaring a Texas law criminalizing homosexual sodomy unconstitutional. Contributors analyze the Courts rulings on affirmative action and reassess its commitment to states rights. Considering the Courts practices, one advocate explores the use and utility of amicus curiae, or friend of the court briefs, while another reflects on indications of an increased openness by the Court to public scrutiny. Two advocates who argued cases before the Courtone related to hate speech and the other to a three strikes and youre out criminal statuteoffer vivid accounts of their experiences. Intended for general readers, A Year at the Supreme Court is for all those who want to understand the Rehnquist Court and its momentous 200203 term.ContributorsErwin ChemerinskyNeal DevinsDavison M. DouglasDavid J. GarrowDahlia LithwickTony MauroCarter PhillipsRamesh PonnuruJeffrey RosenDavid G. SavageRodney A. SmollaStuart Taylor Jr.**

Author: Srećko Pulig File Type: pdf

Author: Jeffrey Burton Russell File Type: pdf Evil is an intrinsically fascinating topic. In Lucifer, Jeffrey Burton Russell continues his compelling study of the personification of evil in the figure of the Devil. The previous two volumes in this remarkable tertalogy--The Devil and Satan--trace the history of the concept of the devil comparatively as it emerged in diverse cultures and followed its development in Western thought from the ancient Hebrew religion through the first five centuries of the Christian era.The present volume charts the evolution of the concept of the devil from the fifth century through the fifteenth. Drawing on an impressive array of sources from popular religion, art, literature, and drama, as well as from scholastic philosophy, mystical theology, homiletics, and hagiography, Russell provides a detailed treatment of Christian diabology in the Middle Ages. Although he focuses primarily on Western Christian thought, Russell also includes, for the sake of comparison, material on the concept of the devil in Greek Orthodoxy during the Byzantine period as well as in Muslim thought.Russell recounts how the Middle Ages saw a refinement in detail rather than a radical alteration of diabological theory. He shows that the medieval concept of the devil, fundamentally unchanged over the course of the centuries, eventually gave rise to the unyielding beliefs that resulted in the horrifying cruelties of the witch-hunting craze in the 1500s and 1600s. This major contribution to the history of the Middle Ages and to the history of religion will enlighten scholars and students alike and will appeal to anyone concerned with the problem of evil in our world.