There are saints in Orthodox Christian culture who overturn the conventional concept of sainthood. Their conduct may be unruly and salacious, they may blaspheme and even kill - yet, mysteriously, those around them treat them with even more reverence. Such saints are called 'holy fools'. In this pioneering study Sergey A. Ivanov examines the phenomenon of holy foolery from a cultural standpoint. He identifies its prerequisites and its development in religious thought, and traces the emergence of the first hagiographic texts describing these paradoxical saints. He describes the beginnings of holy foolery in Egyptian monasteries of the fifth century, followed by its high point in the cities of Byzantium, with an eventual decline in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. He also compares the important Russian tradition of holy fools, which in some form has survived to this day.
A funny, heartwarming Regency romance. A convenient arrangement… …a complicated attraction Jane Ashworth dreams of being an author, yet Society insists she become a debutante—so play the game she must! Jane finds an unlikely ally in notorious rake Tom Stewart. As a new guardian to his nephew, Tom is out of his depth and intent on remaining a bachelor. They agree to fool society with a pretend courtship, but both are unprepared when the lines of their agreement start to become blurred… From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past. Matchmade Marriages Book 1: The Marquess Meets His Match Book 2: A Pretend Match for the Viscount Book 3: A Match to Fool Society
What would America look like if the liberals ultimately triumph, say by the year 2050? "WTF! This is a Liberal Utopia!" - a satire on liberalism, all the unintended consequences of this heart felt way of looking at the world around oneself, usually in the cloistered halls of academia, some government agency, some left-wing, nonprofit activist organization and, or congress. A really fantabulous glimpse at what the future holds when these magnificent, starry-eyed wonders finally come out on top! By 2050, America will have gone through some slight changes thus resulting in many really noteworthy phenomena. For one, there is no longer any need for elections: there will be a "Forever President" whose last name could be 'Castro.' Furthermore, odds are 'welfare moms' will have largely replaced small business enterprises with their monthly, government stipends; most Americans will as likely as not have never worked, because it is distinctly possible that there won't be any save for those "shovel ready jobs" the Democrats will in all likelihood keep bringing up. Gaia, Mother Earth, will have probably been rescued from the threatening effects of “Global Warming,” “Global Cooling,” and “Climate Change,” by turning to more agrarian economy where ‘maze’ is likely to be the cornerstone. For those lucky enough to own wheeled transportation, they will likely be driving around in either battery-powered, bubble cars made of styrofoam, or Latino lowriders which might look a lot like sparklers driving along the potholed highways of tomorrow. The English language will have been replaced by local, cultural colloquialisms with phonetics playing the principle role for making up words and phrases and writing them out. All this and more will be seen through the eyes of one of those liberal visionaries, an Ivy League English Professor whose name is Felix Schwartz; the narrator, the author and “the reader.” A glimpse into our wondrous future and what awaits us all when the magnificent munificents are finally given the reins to take America down that ‘Yellow Brick Road’ to their utopian, imaginary 'World of OZ.' "WTF! This is a Liberal Utopia!"
"From Beyond" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was written in 1920 and was first published in The Fantasy Fan in June 1934. The story is told from the first-person perspective of an unnamed narrator and details his experiences with a scientist named Crawford Tillinghast. Tillinghast creates an electronic device that emits a resonance wave, which stimulates an affected person's pineal gland, thereby allowing them to perceive planes of existence outside the scope of accepted reality. Sharing the experience with Tillinghast, the narrator becomes cognizant of a translucent, alien environment that overlaps our own recognized reality. From this perspective, he witnesses hordes of strange and horrific creatures that defy description. Tillinghast reveals that he has used his machine to transport his house servants into the overlapping plane of reality. He also reveals that the effect works both ways, and allows the alien creature denizens of the alternate dimension to perceive humans. Tillinghast's servants were attacked and killed by one such alien entity, and Tillinghast informs the narrator that it is right behind him. Terrified beyond measure, the narrator picks up a gun and shoots it at the machine, destroying it. Tillinghast dies immediately thereafter as a result of apoplexy. The police investigate the scene and it is placed on record that Tillinghast murdered the servants in spite of their remains never being found. Famous works of the author Howard Phillips Lovecraft: At the Mountains of Madness, The Dreams in the Witch House, The Horror at Red Hook, The Shadow Out of Time, The Shadows over Innsmouth, The Alchemist, Reanimator, Ex Oblivione, Azathoth, The Call of Cthulhu, The Cats of Ulthar, The Dunwich Horror, The Doom that Came to Sarnath, The Festival, The Silver Key, The Other Gods, The Outsider, The Temple, The Picture in the House, The Shunned House, The Terrible Old Man, The Tomb, Dagon, What the Moon Brings.
Beyond Fossil Fools illustrates, explains, and quantifies the only practical solution to the energy problems of the United States and the world. The solution is a combination of "alternative energy" sources, reduced energy use, hybrid and all electirc cars and trucks, improved batteries, biofuels, nuclear power, political awareness, and political willingness to change.
