Kirjahaku

In the late medieval era, pain could be a symbol of holiness, disease, sin, or truth. It could be encouragement to lead a moral life, a punishment for wrongdoing, or a method of healing. Exploring the varied depictions and descriptions of pain - from martyrdom narratives to practices of torture and surgery - "The Modulated Scream" attempts to decode this culture of suffering in the Middle Ages. Esther Cohen brings to life the cacophony of howls emerging from the written record of physicians, torturers, theologians, and mystics. In considering how people understood suffering, explained it, and meted it out, Cohen discovers that pain was imbued with multiple meanings. While interpreting pain was the province only of the rarified elite, harnessing pain for religious, moral, legal, and social purposes was a practice that pervaded all classes of medieval life. In the overlap of these contradictory attitudes about what pain was for - how it was to be understood and who should use it - Cohen reveals the distinct and often conflicting cultural traditions and practices of late medieval Europeans. Ambitious and wide-ranging, "The Modulated Scream" is intellectual history at its most acute.

Emerging out of the chaos of misleading dietary information, Alchemy of Nourishment is a transformative new approach to activating the innate wisdom of your body's capacity to thrive as nature intended. Our fast-paced lifestyle, lack of time in nature, and polluted environment increase our stress levels, placing extraordinary demands on our body's ability to detoxify. Toxic overload is at the root of all disease, which can manifest as headaches, weight gain, lack of energy, brain fog, IBS, high blood pressure, and even cancer. This easy to follow, step-by-step guide leads you to tangible, positive changes in your relationship with food, lifestyle, and physical and emotional health. Alchemy of Nourishment integrates science with ancient wisdom to provide a blueprint for wholeness and health. Establish an intimacy with your body that opens the doorway to a vibrant mind, body, and spirit. Through mindfulness practices, real food, and understanding, the Art, Science and Magic of eating will change your life. Restore, Rebuild, Rejuvenate, Thrive

Poetry. Esther Cohen writes with humor and joy and lots of energy. You can't help but smile when you encounter her delightful images. In her title poem, for example, you learn that she once wrote a poem and "'God Is a Tree' was the title. / Louis Savitsky didn't like it./ He asked why / I had the chutzpah / to believe I knew. / A few years later, Louis's daughter / became a Scientologist." It is those seemingly unrelated comments, presented with a straight "face," that startle and amuse as they challenge one's thinking. These poems have a definite Jewish tone to them, but certainly one doesn't need to be Jewish in order to appreciate them.