Schools of Asceticism: Ideology and Organisation in Medieval Religious Communities.

Schools of Asceticism: Ideology and Organisation in Medieval Religious Communities. LUTZ KAELBER. viii+278 pages. 1998. Pennsylvania (PA): PennsylvaniaState University Pennsylvania State University,main campus at University Park, State College; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1855, opened 1859 as Farmers' High School. Press; 0-271-01754-6 hardback $55; 0-271-01755-4paperback $19.95. Profound methodological issues are raised by the approach of thisstudy to questions which are, arguably, theological rather than'ideological'. There must always be broadly two ways ofapproaching the task of explaining a phenomenon which has marked socialfeatures but also a governing set of motivating ideas or principles. Ifwe are looking at the work of an individual writer of the past we aredoing 'intellectual history', and even there there must be anawareness of context, or we shall be in danger of writinganachronistically and reading back into the mind of another agepresumptions of our own. If we are looking at the outward manifestationsof view held by a large group, many of them illiterate, none the authorof a surviving account of his or their thinking, we may be engaged in anexercise closer to the histoire des mentalitds. Then understanding thecontext becomes even more important. And it becomes more crucial stillto avoid imposing upon the evidence a framework of questions andassumptions which belong in a later age. That is the danger this study skirts, not always successfully. The difference between theology and ideology is that embedded inthe Christian system are otherwordly considerations which are notreducible to the terms of reference Terms of reference allude to a mutual agreement under which a command, element, or unit exercises authority or undertakes specific missions or tasks relative to another command, element, or unit. Also called TORs. of a mere theory with a message,which is what I take ideology to amount to. It is also the case that thehistory of Christian thought by the period with which this book wasconcerned had become intricately enmeshed with the history of philosophywhile it had little or nothing to say about social ideas (beyond the'diaconal' instructions to look after the poor and widows andthe higher duty to love one's neighbour). The core theme is asceticism asceticism(əsĕt`ĭsĭzəm), rejection of bodily pleasures through sustained self-denial and self-mortification, with the objective of strengthening spiritual life. . But to understand what mediaeval me��di��ae��val?adj.Variant of medieval.mediaevalAdjectivesame as medievalAdj. 1. ascetical movements understood to be the purpose of self-denial requiresa study at least of Porphyry and Augustine, or the hermetic hermetic/her��met��ic/ (her-met��ik) impervious to air. her��met��icor her��met��i��caladj.Completely sealed, especially against the escape or entry of air. tradition,and all the intellectual baggage on this subject which late antiquephilosophy carried about with it. It also demands a knowledge of theparameters of the tradition of patristic pa��tris��tic? also pa��tris��ti��caladj.Of or relating to the fathers of the early Christian church or their writings.pa��tris and mediaeval exegesis exegesisScholarly interpretation of religious texts, using linguistic, historical, and other methods. In Judaism and Christianity, it has been used extensively in the study of the Bible. Textual criticism tries to establish the accuracy of biblical texts. ofScripture against which the nascent heretical school-traditions of the12th century measured themselves. It is, in short, more necessary to gobackwards than to go forwards, for we are dealing here with the directinfluence such earlier mental attitudes had upon the thinking of an agewhich had a high respect for authority in the form of the texts of auctores. It is tantalizing tan��ta��lize?tr.v. tan��ta��lized, tan��ta��liz��ing, tan��ta��liz��esTo excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach. that much of what we know about the ideas ofthe Cathars and the Waldensians (who were not really both heretical, butheretical and schismatic schis��mat��ic?adj.Of, relating to, or engaging in schism.n.One who promotes or engages in schism.schis��mat respectively) comes from academic treatiseswritten against them. We need to hear about that, and there is nothingin this study about Alan of Lille, for example. When I read of 'mercatile protocapitalist ideology' or'self-empowerment', I do not find it easy to locate theseconcepts in the world I am reading about. If we do not begin by askingwhat the people we are describing thought they were doing it is not easyto be sure we are talking about them at all, and not about someconstruct of our own. Bernard of Clairvaux appears briefly, but we donot hear from him. Yet he wrote copiously, with passion and clarity,about what he understood to be the purpose and usefulness of thereligious life. There was no more 'rational ascetic', nor onemore lushly sensuous in his imagery, more abandoned in his pursuit ofthe divine, of the 12th century. Why not ask him what he thought? So Iam suspicious of a study which begins with 'Weber, Troeltsch andBeyond' and not with the 'asceticism in lay religiousmovements in the Middle Ages' which we come to in Part II. The kindof lapse this may encourage is the assumption that the Waldensiansthemselves would have drawn the distinction between lay and'professional (professed) religious' quite where the authordoes. The anti-establishment character of their thinking made theminclined to deem the whole people of God the laos, and to be reluctantto see themselves as forming a distinct class. Another reason for being suspicious of this approach is that Weberand Troeltsch wrote in the early years of this century, at a date whenmediaeval studies, particularly of this sort, were at an early stage andthe understandings we now have not always securely in frame. And Weber,in particular, was looking backwards from the preoccupations of theGerman Reformation, for precursors. If they are to occupy so much of thecentre stage of this study it would be sensible to discuss alongsidethem the findings of important recent studies such as Anne Hudson'sThe premature Reformation and Eamon Duffy's The stripping of thealtars. It may be that a reviewer is unjust to bring another set ofpreferences to such a study. There is much in it that is illuminatingand some sensible and clear accounts of the status quaestionis on someof the issues. Perhaps sociology and intellectual history must always beat war in their readings of the driving forces in things. G.R. EVANS Faculty of History, University of Cambridge References DUFFY, E. 1992. The stripping of the altars. London: YaleUniversity Press. HUDSON, A. 1988. The premature Reformation. Oxford: ClarendonPress.

Schools tighten fuel budget belt: skyrocketing costs are forcing districts to rethink standard practices.

Schools tighten fuel budget belt: skyrocketing costs are forcing districts to rethink standard practices. WITH FUEL AND ENERGY PRICES soaring but also fluctuating fluc��tu��ate?v. fluc��tu��at��ed, fluc��tu��at��ing, fluc��tu��atesv.intr.1. To vary irregularly. See Synonyms at swing.2. To rise and fall in or as if in waves; undulate.v. betweenhigh and low, school districts across the country are finding ways tocut corners to keep budgets afloat. The American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues: American Association (19th century), active from 1882 to 1891. American Association (20th century), active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997. of SchoolAdministrators' new "Fuel and Energy Snapshot (1) A saved copy of memory including the contents of all memory bytes, hardware registers and status indicators. It is periodically taken in order to restore the system in the event of failure.(2) A saved copy of a file before it is updated. Survey"says that, in an effort to offset fuel and energy costs, nearly one inseven districts is considering moving to a four-day week, one in threeis eliminating teaching jobs, and one in four is considering limits onathletics and extracurricular activities. Reassessing the Budget When negotiating with bus companies, schools are gambling whetherto lock in a rate or keep it floating with what's current. * The Palisades Palisades,cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). School District in Kintnersville, Pa., will lock infuel costs for the first time this year at a fixed $4.33 a gallon.Business administrator Jill Ruch says that although it's a"good price for diesel," it's also 58 percent more thanthe $2.74 per gallon budgeted last year. "We were afraid the budgetwould be overextended overextended,adj 1. the situation occurring when a prosthetic appliance is inadvertently constructed in such a way that part of the oral mucosa is injured by the appliance.adj 2. if we didn't lock in at $4.33," shesays. * Bellevue (Neb.) Public Schools is budgeting $600,000 to coverfuel costs for 2008-2009, compared with $250,000 a year ago.Kentucky's Bowling Green Bowling Green.1 City (1990 pop. 40,641), seat of Warren co., S Ky., on the Barren River; inc. 1812. It is a shipping and marketing center for an area producing tobacco, corn, livestock, and dairy items. Independent Schools is budgeting anadditional $45,000 over last year's $130,000, and Durham (N.C.)Public Schools is budgeting $2.75 million for fuel, up from $2 million ayear ago. * Texas lawmakers say they must re-evaluate their state'sschool funding system a system or scheme of finance or revenue by which provision is made for paying the interest or principal of a public debt.See also: Funding , which uses a 20-year-old formula based onoutdated fuel prices to determine state-appropriated transportationfunds. * The Moorpark (Calif.) Unified School District's 2,400 highschool students don't have buses anymore, as officials haveeliminated rides to cope with operating a service that can cost hundredsof thousands to tens of millions of dollars a year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shorter Weeks * Two Kentucky districts--Webster County Schools and JenkinsIndependent Schools--are already on four-day-a-week schedules, but withmore than 50 percent of the state's students qualifying for free orreduced-price lunch, those children rely on schools for basic nutritionneeds, and it would be "extremely costly" for most districtsto meet those demands on an extended day schedule, says Kentucky DOEspokeswoman Lisa Gross. * Webster County Webster County is the name of seven counties and a parish in the United States: Webster County, Georgia Webster County, Iowa Webster County, Kentucky Webster County, Mississippi Webster County, Missouri Webster County, Nebraska Schools introduced a four-day school week in the2003-2004 year to cut overall costs, but ended up "gaining muchmore," says the district's director of secondary programs,Carolyn Sholar. Not only did the district save on transportation costs,but state test scores also improved across all subject areas, and theopen Mondays have allowed administrators and and staff to hold committeemeetings and faculty meetings for professional development. Many of thedistrict's high school students now hold part-time jobs on Mondays,and their time at school is spent more effectively. * The 700-student MACCRAY MACCRAY Maynard Clara City, Raymond (Independent School District)school district just west of Minneapolishas cut back to a four-day week for the 2008-2009 year. The change,designed to bring in the extra $65,000 needed to fill buses' tanksfor the year, will mean 23 fewer days of school a year, and the lengthof the day will be extended by a little more than an hour. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Limiting the Fun Stuff * Kentucky districts are cutting back on field trips andextracurricular activities, but the state department of education isalso partnering with school facilities staff to save money in the longterm by achieving energy efficiency through centralized cen��tral��ize?v. cen��tral��ized, cen��tral��iz��ing, cen��tral��iz��esv.tr.1. To draw into or toward a center; consolidate.2. heating andgeothermal ge��o��ther��mal? also ge��o��ther��micadj.Of or relating to the internal heat of the earth.ge systems. * At Webster County Schools, plans to "limittransportation" for athletics and extracurricular activitiesinclude the state board's termination of transportation funds forcompetition-based events. In the past, the board of ed has funded alltransportation costs. "Other districts around us have not had thefinancial support of the board for any athletic and extracurricularactivities for some time now," says Carolyn Sholar, thedistrict's director of secondary programs and instruction, "sowe've been lucky." Each individual school sports team inWebster County is spearheading fundraising efforts to boost theirresources, and Sholar says their plans are all in "pretty goodshape." * At the Palisades School District in Kintnersville, Pa., an addedexpense of $0.50 per mile will be incorporated into the fees for everyschool field trip, and a surcharge An overcharge or additional cost.A surcharge is an added liability imposed on something that is already due, such as a tax on tax. It also refers to the penalty a court can impose on a fiduciary for breaching a duty. of as much as $25 could be filteredinto the overall cost for field trips in other districts in the state,says business administrator Jill Ruch.

Schott signs deal with Hal Leonard.

Schott signs deal with Hal Leonard. Hal Leonard Corporation Hal Leonard Corporation is a US sheet music publishing company. It is the largest sheet music publisher in the world. now has exclusive North and South American distribution rights to the classical and educational music catalog of Schott Musik International. Schott, based in Mainz, Germany, is the original publisher of Beethoven and Wagner, as well as renowned contemporary composers such as Paul Hindemith Noun 1. Paul Hindemith - German neoclassical composer and conductor who believed that music should have a social purpose (1895-1963)Hindemith , Gyorgy Ligeti, Carl Orff Noun 1. Carl Orff - German musician who developed a widely used system for teaching music to children (1895-1982)Orff , Krzysztof Penderecki, Sir Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett, OM (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was one of the foremost English composers of the 20th century. BiographyTippett was born in London of English and Cornish stock. , Kurt Weill, Tobias Picker Tobias Picker (b. New York City, 1954) is an American composer. Picker began composing at the age of eight and studied at the Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School and Princeton University, where his principal teachers were Charles Wuorinen, Elliott Carter and Milton and Joseph Schwantner. Boasting a catalog of more than 40,000 publications, including everything from performance and teaching materials, urtext editions, contemporary concert and opera literature and study scores, to complete editions, books about music, specialty journals, recordings and multimedia products, the product range of Schott Musik International is extensive enough to meet the needs of all musicians. Milwaukee-based Hal Leonard, the world's largest music print publisher, will be responsible for the sales, distribution and marketing of the Schott catalog in North and South America. This move is expected to introduce these distinguished publications to a much wider American audience. For more information, visit www.halleonard.com.

Schubert's Late Lieder: Beyond the Song-Cycles.

Schubert's Late Lieder: Beyond the Song-Cycles. Susan Youens. Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press (known colloquially as CUP) is a publisher given a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1534, and one of the two privileged presses (the other being Oxford University Press). (40 W. 20th St., New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ,NY 10011-4211), 2002. 436 pp., $75. Thoughts of the late lieder of Franz Schubert bring to mind thesettings of Wilhelm Muller's Die schone Mullerin and DieWinterreise or the collection of Schwanengesang with the poetry ofRellstab and Heine. But who were the poets Collin, Pyrker, Leitner,Seidl, Reil and Franz Xaver Franz Xaver is a name shared by several different people throughout history. Franz Xaver, Baron Von Zach (1754 - 1832), a German/Hungarian astronomer. Franz Xaver Gabelsberger (1780–1849), a German stenographer. Freiherr yon Schlechta-Wssehrd? In herseventh book on the lieder of Hugo Wolf and Franz Schubert, Susan Youensintroduces us to these six contemporaries of Schubert, whose poetry isderived primarily from their musical settings. Although the work of these otherwise unknown poets can no longerstand on its own, "They have interesting cultural tales to tell,and they made wonderful music." Herein lies the beauty ofYouens's writing on lieder. Following the successful format of theprevious books, she brings together a wealth of knowledge of politicaland social history, literary imagery, art and drama with theauthoritative musical analysis One would expect from a highly respectedmusicologist mu��si��col��o��gy?n.The historical and scientific study of music.musi��co��log . The book offers no direct suggestions for theperformers' interpretation but does provide an abundance ofbackground material on which to base an emotional understanding of theworks. The selection of poetry for his late lieder, written between 1822and his death in 1828, reflects the influence of both Beethoven andSchubert's pending death from syphilis syphilis(sĭf`əlĭs), contagious sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum (described by Fritz Schaudinn and Erich Hoffmann in 1905). . The lieder often are darkand brooding, echoing his declining health. The songs, however, are byno means unfamiliar to us; Nacht und Traume and Die Allmacht are here aswell as one of my favorites My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. , the powerful ballad, Der Zwerg Der Zwerg (The Dwarf) is an opera in one act by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. Its libretto was written by George Klaren, based loosely on the story The Birthday of the Infanta by Oscar Wilde. . The book is divided into four large chapters with single chaptersdevoted to Collin, Pyrker and Leitner and a final chapter onSchubert's Viennese contemporaries. Youens's style isscholarly, with footnotes at times wing for page dominance. One has thefeeling she has almost too much to tell. She pours forth so muchunderstanding of her subject matter that we at times lose track ofSchubert's music. Schubert's Late Lieder is a welcome addition to the seriousmusician's library. It provides needed information aboutSchubert's lesser poets and sheds light on the life and literaryinfluences of early nineteenth-century Vienna. Reviewed by BardSuverkrop, Winchester, Virginia.

Schwartz & Wade.

Schwartz & Wade. Schwartz & Wade c/o Random House Children's Books 1745 Broadway, 10-1, New York, NY 10019 www.randomhouse.com/kids Ages 4-8 will appreciate Jonah Winter & Francois Roca'sstory Muhammed Ali: Champion of the World (9780375836220, $ 16.99), ofboxer Muhammed Ali, who was more than a boxer, symbolizing Muslim rightsand his people's efforts to succeed. This biography highlights hislife using large-sized, vivid lettering to capture the drama of his lifeand boxing style. Robert Andrew Parker's PIANO STARTS HERE(9780375839658, $ 16.99) tells of Art Tatum, who was playing keyboardson tiptoe at a very young age: first in church, and later in cafes.PIANO STARTS HERE charts his life, the influence of blindness on hismusical development, and his world travels in a vivid biography.

Science Fiction Authors: A Research Guide.

Science Fiction Authors: A Research Guide. Science Fiction Authors Note that this partial list contains some authors whose works of fantastic fiction would today be called science fiction, even if they predate, or did not work in that genre. There is also a considerable overlap with the List of fantasy authors, since many authors are equally comfortable : A Research Guide BY MAURA HEAPHY Author Research Series. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2009.318 pp. 22.95 [pounds sterling] soft cover ISBN ISBNabbr.International Standard Book NumberISBNInternational Standard Book NumberISBNn abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m9781591585152 (availablefrom Inbooks) Maura Heaphy's Science Fiction Authors. A Research Guide isaimed at libraries, particularly those in the USA, and readers wanting abasic starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting pointterminus a quocommencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the to the science fiction (SF) genre. Heaphy, a seniorlecturer at Ohio State University Ohio State University,main campus at Columbus; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1870, opened 1873 as Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, renamed 1878. There are also campuses at Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark. , states that her guide aims to fill agap in SF reference books, being 'intended for those who alreadyknow the given writer and want to learn more'. Heaphy works, however, within the guidelines of the LibrariesUnlimited Author Research Series, which attempts to cater for 'theneeds of fans, students, teachers, librarians and bookclubleaders'. Heaphy understandably has difficulties meeting the needsof all of these diverse groups. Each author entry begins with a short quotation 'to give ataste of the writer's style', but two to three lines arepatently insufficient to summarise writers as diverse as Robert Heinleinand Mary Shelley. Heaphy provides short biographies, lists of majorworks, selective resource and critical sources and websites to 100authors from Douglas Adams to Roger Zelazny. Heaphy acknowledges that her choices ultimately reflect herpersonal opinion as to 'the best and brightest of ScienceFiction'. She has naturally a decidedly American bias, althoughsome major British authors, such as M. John Harrison Michael John Harrison (born July 26, 1945), who writes as M. John Harrison, is a British author of science fiction, fantasy and literary fiction.Harrison was born in Warwickshire. , Charles Stross andBrian Aldiss, are included, along with Karel Capek and Stanislaw Lem torepresent Europe. There are few non-Northern Hemisphere authors listed.It is unfortunate that Australia's leading SF author, Greg Egan, isnot included, given hisstanding in the field and in other 'best of' lists. Theauthor and publisher clearly reflect where they think their book saleswill be. Appendices include the major awards of the genre and a generalbibliography covering encyclopaedias, guides to biography and some'frequently cited' sources. While these are not comprehensive,and again are American in focus, they are sound initial referencepoints. The usefulness of the List of Authors by Type, under suchheaders as Far Future and Gothic SF'is, however, debatable. ScienceFiction Authors will be useful for libraries and students wanting abasic guide to predominantly American authors. Colin Steele Australian National University

Science Play.

Science Play. Science Play Jill Frankel Hauser Williamson Books c/o Ideals Publications Suite 250, 535 Metroplex A metroplex is large metropolitan area containing several cities and their suburbs.[1] It is also sometimes used as an alternative to metropolis or megalopolis, which is a chain of continuous metropolitan areas. Drive, Nashville, Tennessee “Nashville” redirects here. For other uses, see Nashville (disambiguation).Nashville is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee, after Memphis. 37211 1885593201 $12.95 www.idealpublications.com Kindergarten teacher Jill Frankel Hauser presents Science Play, acompendium com��pen��di��um?n. pl. com��pen��di��ums or com��pen��di��a1. A short, complete summary; an abstract.2. A list or collection of various items. of over 65 safe, age-appropriate activities designed tofoster creativity and a sense of discovery in children ages 2 to 6.Step-by-step instructions and simple black-and-white illustrations walkreaders through activities such as observing earthworms at work, makingpuddle prints with food coloring, water, and a simple medicine dropper drop��pern.A device that produces drops, especially a small tube with a suction bulb at one end for drawing in a liquid and releasing it in drops. Also called instillator.dropper1. ,or gathering and sorting rocks. Young children will most likely need anadult's help with reading the instructions, but the activitiesthemselves are easy to do and highly inexpensive. Enthusiasticallyrecommended for parents, teachers, and caregivers of young childreneverywhere.