The Abingdon worship annual

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Yanique Hume and Aaron Kamugisha

Caribbean Cultural Thought presents a critical appraisal of the range of issues and themes that have been pivotal in the study of Caribbean societies. Written from the perspective of primarily Caribbean authors and renowned scholars of the region, it excavates classic texts in Caribbean Cultural Thought and places them in dialogue with contemporary interrogations and explorations of regional cultural politics and debates concerning identity and social change; colonialism, diaspora, aesthetics, religion and spirituality, gender and sexuality, and nationalism.

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Stephen J. Schulhofer

"When the states ratified the Bill of Rights in the eighteenth century, the Fourth Amendment seemed straightforward. It requires that government respect the right of citizens to be 'secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.' Of course, 'papers and effects' are now digital and thus more vulnerable to government spying. But the biggest threat may be our own weakening resolve to preserve our privacy. In this potent new volume in Oxford's Inalienable Rights series, legal expert Stephen J. Schulhofer argues that the Fourth Amendment remains, as the title says, more essential than ever. From data-mining to airport body scans, drug testing and aggressive police patrolling on the streets, privacy is under assault as never before--and we're simply getting used to it. But the trend is threatening the pillars of democracy itself, Schulhofer maintains.^ 'Government surveillance may not worry the average citizen who reads best-selling books, practices a widely accepted religion, and adheres to middle-of-the-road political views, ' he writes. But surveillance weighs on minorities, dissenters, and unorthodox thinkers, 'chilling their freedom to read what they choose, to say what they think, and to associate with others who are like-minded.' All of us are affected, he adds. 'When unrestricted search and surveillance powers chill speech and religion, inhibit gossip and dampen creativity, they undermine politics and impoverish social life for everyone.' Schulhofer offers a rich account of the history and nuances of Fourth Amendment protections, as he examines such issues as street stops, racial profiling, electronic surveillance, data aggregation, and the demands of national security.^ The Fourth Amendment, he reminds us, explicitly authorizes invasions of privacy--but it requires justification and accountability, requirements that reconcile public safety with liberty.Combining a detailed knowledge of specific cases with a deep grasp of Constitutional law, More Essential than Ever offers a sophisticated and thoughtful perspective on this important debate"--Provided by publisher.

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Mahi Binebine

On the outskirts of Casablanca, next to the dump, is the shantytown of Sidi Moumen, where Yachine and his ten brothers grew up, in the aimless chaos of drugs, violence, unemployment, and despair. The barefoot boys started their own football team-the Stars of Sidi Moumen. They played amongst the rocks, detritus, and buried skeletons of the dump but they dreamed of becoming the best football players of all time. From the grave, Yachine remembers the ugliness but also recalls his fond memories of childhood: "I'm not ashamed to tell you I was sometimes happy in that hideous squalor, on the filth of that accursed cesspit, yes, I was happy in Sidi Moumen, my home. ." Then their dreams changed. Yachine's older brother Hamid started growing a beard and attending religious meetings with Sheikh Abou Zoubeir. Week after week, the sheikh beguiled the Stars of Sidi Moumen into believing that there was a better world in the afterlife, where their faith in Allah would be rewarded. They needed only to choose between dying gloriously and together, or living disgracefully and alone. For Yachine and his brother, the choice was clear.

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Sylvia Boorstein

Explores the relationship between Jewish and Buddhist traditions and discusses the reasons why some Jews are drawn to Buddhism and become practicing Buddhists.