Chasidism

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Martin Helander

Derived from a course market-tested over ten years, this book presents, in a jargon-free form, a 'one-stop shop' for effective ergonomic interventions in the manufacturing environment. Overviewing ergonomics and the way in which it can enhance productivity, safety, and job satisfaction, the book explains the many ways in which ergonomics can support and improve manufacturing engineering and systems design. Moreover, it grounds these ideas in real-life case study experience. It addresses such diverse topics as anthropometry, lighting, noise, heat, whole body vibration, circadian rhythms, protective clothing, tools and controls, lifting and handling, posture, repetitive motion, symbols, labels, visual displays, manufacturability, and maintainability. A true compendium of ergonomics expertise, the book is addressed to student and graduate/masters level ergonomists, industrial and manufacturing engineers, management and human resource planners; human-systems/computer interaction specialists; practising ergonomists and human factors engineers; and occupational health and safety and industrial medical professionals.

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June McDaniel

The Indian state of West Bengal is home to one of the world's most vibrant traditions of goddess worship. The year's biggest holidays are devoted to the goddesses Durga and Kali, with lavish rituals, decorated statues, fireworks, and parades. In Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls, June McDaniel provides a broad, accessibly written overview of Bengali goddess worship. McDaniel identifies three major forms of goddess worship, and examines each through its myths, folklore, songs, rituals, sacred texts, and practitioners. In the folk/tribal strand, which is found in rural areas, local tribal goddesses are worshipped alongside Hindu goddesses, with an emphasis on possession, healing, and animism. The tantric/yogic strand focuses on ritual, meditation, and visualization as ways of experiencing the power of the goddess directly. The devotional or bhakti strand, which is the most popular form, involves the intense love and worship of a particular form of the goddess. McDaniel traces these strands through Bengali culture and explores how they are interwoven with each other as well as with other forms of Hinduism. She also discusses how these practices have been reinterpreted in the West, where goddess worship has gained the values of sexual freedom and psychological healing, but lost its emphases on devotion and asceticism. Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls takes the reader inside the lives of practicing Shaktas, including holy women, hymn singers, philosophers, visionaries, gurus, ascetics, healers, musicians, and businessmen, and offers vivid descriptions of their rituals, practices, and daily lives. Drawing on years of fieldwork and extensive research, McDaniel paints a rich, expansive portrait of this fascinating religious tradition.

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Patricia Boling

The growing availability of unprecedented reproductive technologies has raised equally unprecedented moral and political questions, not only for pregnant women but for all those who wish the state to act humanely and wisely in this extraordinarily sensitive arena. In this timely and provocative volume a group of distinguished feminist scholars explore the ethics and the politics of issues such as surrogacy, genetic testing, in utero surgery, genetic intervention, in vitro fertilization, and fetal endangerment. Expecting Trouble is essential reading for scholars and students of women and politics, women and public policy, sexual ethics, and medical ethics.

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Brent Agin and Sharon Perkins

Look to this book for advice, techniques, and strategies to help people stay vigorous and healthy as they grow older. People are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about managing their health as they age. Healthy Aging For Dummies explains how people can embark on a healthy lifestyle that will enable them to feel young, both mentally and physically, even as they're getting older. It covers tips and advice on choosing the ideal physician; starting an exercise program; learning to meditate; taking the right vitamins and herbs; dealing with or preventing heart disease, cancer, and dementia; replacing negative thinking with positive thinking; and building memory and learning skills.