Shanti is the central character in a colorful adventure that takes the Irish country cat from Dublin to London. Shanti is in search of her beloved brother Smudge who was taken by a sailor in Dublin. In London, Shanti teams up with the eccentric circus characters Ishkar and Dwizel as she finds success as a talented acrobat and becomes known as Shanti the Acrocat. Shanti still misses Smudge and is determined to find him. Shanti uncovers a clue that leads to Paris. The search for Smudge continues in Paris as 'Ishkar's Magic Circus' gains fame and a mysterious French cat that resembles Smudge appears. Shanti and her friends seek Smudge in a fast-paced journey of some famous Paris landmarks. Ishkar's hidden past is revealed as are more clues that lead to Smudge. Families divided are reunited. Peace, loyalty and love prevail. Shanti is alone and scared but with determination and talent she overcomes obstacles. Shanti is brave and good-hearted and wins friends with her loyalty and humor. Shanti the Acrocat contains references to easy French phrases, geography and diversity of cultures. A glossary is included to help children understand locale and more difficult words.

Written by a well-known author in the field of Baha'i studies, this is a comprehensive and accessible encyclopedia to the youngest of the world religions. Regarded as the second most widespread faith after Christianity, with adherents in almost every country around the globe, the Baha'i faith is nevertheless unfamiliar to many. here Dr Smith traces the origins and development of the religion from 19th century Iran to the modern day, introducing its central figures and major historical events. combining breadth with a readable yet concise style, he provides a balanced overview of Baha'i scriptures, doctrines and practices, social teachings and organization. This reference work presents a clear and knowledgeable view of a fascinating new religion.

In 1888, Mark Twain reflected on the writer's special feel for words to his correspondent, George Bainton, noting that "the difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter." We recognize differences between a politician who is "willful" and one who is "willing" even though the difference does not cross word-stems or parts of speech. We recognize that being "held up" evokes different experiences depending upon whether its direct object is a meeting, a bank, or an example. Although we can notice hundreds of examples in the language where small differences in wording produce large reader effects, the authors of The Power of Words argue that these examples are random glimpses of a hidden systematic knowledge that governs how we, as writers or speakers, learn to shape experience for other human beings. Over the past several years, David Kaufer and his colleagues have developed a software program for analyzing writing called DocuScope. This book illustrates the concepts and rhetorical theory behind the software analysis, examining patterns in writing and showing writers how their writing works in different categories to accomplish varying objectives. Reflecting the range and variety of audience experience that contiguous words of surface English can prime, the authors present a theory of language as an instrument of rhetorically priming audiences and a catalog of English strings to implement the theory. The project creates a comprehensive map of the speaker and writer's implicit knowledge about predisposing audience experience at the point of utterance. The book begins with an explanation of why studying language from the standpoint of priming--not just meaning--is vital to non-question begging theories of close reading and to language education in general. The remaining chapters in Part I detail the steps taken to prepare a catalog study of English strings for their properties as priming instruments. Part II describes in detail the catalog of priming categories, including enough examples to help readers see how individual words and strings of English fit into the catalog. The final part describes how the authors have applied the catalog of English strings as priming tools to conduct textual research.

A world list of books in the English language.

Veiling Esther, Unveiling Her Story: The Reception of a Biblical Book in Islamic Lands examines the ways in which the Biblical Book of Esther was read, understood, and used in Muslim lands, from ancient to modern times. It focuses on case studies covering works from various periods andregions of the Muslim world, including the Qur'an, pre-modern historical chronicles and literary works, the writings of a nineteenth-century Shia feminist, a twentieth-century Iranian encyclopaedia, and others. These case studies demonstrate that Muslim sources contain valuable materials on Esther,which shed light both on the Esther story itself and on the Muslim peoples and cultures that received it. Adam J. Silverstein argues that Muslim sources preserve important pre-Islamic materials on Esther that have not survived elsewhere, some of which offer answers to ancient questions about Esther, such as the meaning of Haman's epithet in the Greek versions of the story, the reason why Mordecairefused to prostrate before Haman, and the literary context of the 'plot of the eunuchs' to kill the Persian king. Throughout the book, Silverstein shows how each author's cultural and religious background influenced his or her understanding and retelling of the Esther story. In particular, hehighlights that Persian Muslims (and Jews) were often forced to reconcile or choose between the conflicting historical narratives provided by their religious and cultural heritages respectively.

In this volume of the RENNER series on new religion, the issue of religion and globalisation is treated with a single religion as the recurring example. The Baha'i religion has been carefully chosen for this context. Few other religions express so clearly in their doctrines the view that the world should be unified, politically and religiously.

Die Reihe Beiruter Texte und Studien (BTS) ist die Buchreihe des Orient-Instituts fur Grundlagenforschung des historischen und zeitgenossischen Mittleren Ostens. Sie stellt Studien bereit, die auf Primarquellen in Sprachen der Region basieren und bietet thematische sowie methodische Impulse. Dieser Band beinhaltet "The Weaving of Words - Approaches to Classical Arabic Prose".

Stealing Peace is a collection of thought provoking, riveting and honest gathering of words in poetic form which reads like a candid intimate discussion familiar to us all. Poetry and non-poetry lovers will find themselves enjoying the poetic work of Jewel Allison, model/actress turned poet. The latter may be aptly put, however Ms. Allison says, to be more correct, “Poet turned model turned poet. Like a sweater you can turn inside out and wear on either side, that’s how I wear my new found title.” The book begins with a subject matter that many of us fi nd too uncomfortable to talk about racism. In the poem “Let’s Talk About Racism”, the reader will hear the words as if Ms. Allison was speaking directly to you with warmth and passion. This poem reaches the hearts of people of all nationalities and leaves you feeling more at ease to discuss racism openly. There are three poems dedicated to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Ms. Allison holds no punches in the provocative poem “Change” (A Poem for Barack Obama), as she strongly suggests the need for young African American men to change any destructive behavior they may engage in while living in urban America. “Stolen”, a heart wrenching piece dedicated to Michelle Obama and Sarah Baartman, openly discusses the history of the Black woman as it relates to the legacy of slavery. “We Are Inaugurated” rejoices the victory of mankind by electing America’s first African American president. Stealing Peace expresses the pain and frustration of living in a world plagued by racism and suggests that the existence of racism impedes upon achieving world peace. Throughout the book Ms. Allison sprinkles very warm and passionate love poems which can be found in “Cover Me You” and “Our First Poem”. The poetry in Stealing Peace is warm and gentle yet strong and powerful. Jewel Allison is a new voice that is sure to find its place in the hallows of your mind. Her poems are pungent, creative and alluring. Her writings allow you to visit paradoxes and ironies in our society, as well as the enduring beauty of our culture. Jewel’s poems unveil the not so obvious and unmask that which is painfully true. Stealing Peace provides a mirror through which we can reflect and correct the errors of our ways as a society. This book also fosters a great appreciation for the contributions of people of African descent and the gifts they possess as a people.