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  Mummies and Magic - The...

  Omar Khalil

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  Mummification is one of the most fascinating and iconic aspects of ancient Egyptian culture. The practice, rooted in both religious beliefs and practical preservation techniques, developed over thousands of years. Understanding the origins of mummification requires a look into early burial practices, the evolution of the methods used, and the profound spiritual significance behind this ancient tradition. 
  In the Predynastic period, before the rise of the Pharaohs, ancient Egyptians buried their dead directly in the hot, dry desert sands. The natural arid conditions acted as a primitive form of preservation, desiccating the bodies and preventing decomposition. These simple burials, often in shallow pits, led to accidental mummification as the desert sands rapidly absorbed moisture. Early communities likely noticed that bodies buried in this way remained intact, sparking the realization that dryness was key to preservation. 
  As Egyptian society evolved, so did burial practices. The transition from pit burials to more elaborate tombs posed new challenges, as the enclosed environments led to faster decomposition. To counter this, early experiments with artificial preservation began. Initially, these efforts were rudimentary, involving simple wrappings and the use of resins. Over time, embalmers refined their techniques, experimenting with salts, oils, and various substances to dry and protect the body. By the Old Kingdom period, the practice had transformed into a highly ritualized and sophisticated process.

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  Y2K - How the 2000s Became...

  Colette Shade

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  “Nothing I’ve read has cut to the heart of the ’00s like Y2K.” — Bustle 
  Perfect for fans of Jia Tolentino and Chuck Klosterman, Y2K is a delightfully nostalgic and bitingly told exploration about how the early 2000s forever changed us and the world we live in. 
  THE EARLY 2000s conjures images of inflatable furniture, flip phones, and low-rise jeans. It was a new millennium and the future looked bright, promising prosperity for all. The internet had arrived, and technology was shiny and fun. For many, it felt like the end of history: no more wars, racism, or sexism. But then history kept happening. Twenty-five years after the ball dropped on December 31st, 1999, we are still living in the shadows of the Y2K Era. 
  In Y2K, one of our most brilliant young critics Colette Shade offers a darkly funny meditation on everything from the pop culture to the political economy of the period. By close reading Y2K artifacts like the Hummer H2, Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” body glitter, AOL chatrooms, Total Request Live, and early internet porn, Shade produces an affectionate yet searing critique of a decade that started with a boom and ended with a crash. 
  In one essay Colette unpacks how hearing Ludacris’s hit song “What’s Your Fantasy” shaped a generation’s sexual awakening; in another she interrogates how her eating disorder developed as rail-thin models from the collapsed USSR flooded the pages of Vogue; in another she reveals how the McMansion became an ominous symbol of the housing collapse. 
  Perfect for fans of Jia Tolentino and Chuck Klosterman, Y2K is the first book to fully reckon with the mixed legacy of the Y2K Era—a perfectly timed collection that holds a startling mirror to our past, present, and future.

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  Unassimilable - An Asian...

  Bianca Mabute-Louie

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  A scholar and activist’s brilliant socio-political examination of Asian Americans who refuse to assimilate and instead build their own belonging on their own terms outside of mainstream American institutions. 
  In this hard-hitting and deeply personal book, a combination of manifesto and memoir, scholar, sociologist, and activist Bianca Mabute-Louie transforms the ways we understand race, class, citizenship, and the concept of assimilation and its impact on Asian American communities from the nineteenth century to present day. 
  UNASSIMILABLE opens with a focus on the San Gabriel Valley (SGV), the first Asian ethnoburb in Los Angeles County and in the nation, where she grew up. A suburban neighborhood with a conspicuous Asian immigrant population, SGV thrives not because of its assimilation into Whiteness, but because of its unapologetic catering to its immigrant community. 
  Mabute-Louie then examines “Predominantly White Institutions With A lot of Asians” and how these institutions shape the racial politics of Asian Americans and Asian internationals, including the fight against affirmative action and the fight for ethnic studies. She moves on to interrogate the role of the religion, showing how the immigrant church is a sanctuary even as it is an extension of colonialism and the American Empire. In the book’s conclusion, Bianca looks to the future, boldly proposing a reconsideration of the term Asian American for a new label that better clarifies who Asians in America are today. 
  UNASSIMILABLE offers a radical vision of Asian American political identity informed by a refusal of Whiteness and collective care for each other. It is a forthright declaration against assimilation and in service of cross-racial, anti-imperialist solidarity and revolutionary politics. Scholarly yet accessible, informative and informed, this book is a major addition to Ethnic Studies and American Studies. 
  Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

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  Dome of the Rock and the Church...

  Charles River Editors

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  The most famous church in Jerusalem for nearly 2,000 years, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, often called the Church of the Resurrection, was built in the era of St. Constantine, and the church as a structure has no history separable from the city of Jerusalem and its environs. It is venerated as being on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried, and naturally, making it a crucial pilgrimage site for Christians, and it is now the home of the Greek Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate. Moreover, it was the site of many important councils, some of which altered Christian history forever. In short, the Sepulchre was and is synonymous with Jerusalem, and it was essentially the nodal center of the city.  
  Naturally, the Church has had a turbulent history just as Jerusalem has. The evidence that Christ's tomb was at that location was backed by the apostolic tradition and basic common sense. The local population had venerated this site since apostolic times, but so much had been destroyed in the ensuing centuries that records which might have been consulted were likely long lost already.  
  	Among the world’s most recognizable man-made structures, the Dome of the Rock – known in Arabic as the Qubbat as-Sakara – is also one of its most mysterious. Although much of the Dome’s construction, reconstruction, and later additions are well-known from historical texts and archeological work, what it represents, why it was built where it was, and even its use remain the subject of scholarly controversy. Known for its immense size and beauty, and also for being located in the middle of Jerusalem, one of the world’s holiest cities, the Dome of the Rock has been the focus of political leaders who wished to legitimize their rule, religious warriors who believed that it empowered their weapons, and pilgrims who thought it was a site of salvation and enlightenment.

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  Journey Through the Gray Matter...

  RITA DOIDGE, NORMAN CARTER, Paul...

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  What to Expect:Mysteries Within Our Minds: Delve into the intricacies of the human brain with step-by-step explanations and enlightening insights. This bundle covers everything from understanding neural pathways and brain plasticity to exploring the impact of emotions on cognitive functions. It offers a comprehensive toolkit for parents and educators, featuring detailed diagrams and accessible language.Master Essential Parenting Techniques: Build a nurturing environment for your child's development with expert guidance on essential parenting techniques and strategies.Masterful Techniques and Inspiring Activities: Explore a wealth of brain-boosting activities and developmental techniques designed to ignite your child's curiosity and enhance their skills.Blend Tradition with Innovation: Embrace the rich tradition of child-rearing while leveraging the power of modern neuroscience. Discover advanced techniques, tools, and materials that streamline your parenting efforts, enhance your child's learning experience, and elevate the quality of their developmental journey.From Curious to Confident: Experience the joy of watching your child's cognitive and emotional development thrive with this transformative bundle. Whether you're nurturing a love for learning or supporting emotional resilience, you'll discover inspiration, guidance, and practical advice to help you succeed. 
  Embark on a Journey of Whole-Brain Development. Whether you're a novice parent, experienced caregiver, or educator, this comprehensive guide is your roadmap to success in understanding the brain and fostering whole-brain development in children.

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  Silurian Period The: The History...

  Editors Charles River

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  The early history of Earth covers such vast stretches of time that years, centuries, and even millennia become virtually meaningless. Instead, paleontologists and scientists who study geochronology divide time into periods and eras.  
  The Silurian Age occurred during the mid-Paleozoic, and despite its relative brevity, the era developed some interesting features that promulgated life on Earth. Roderick J. Murchison, a British geologist, named a sequence of rocks after a group of indigenous people called the Silures living in Wales during the mid-19th century. Despite their absence in the Silurian Age, the name was bestowed to honor the tribe. 
  Murchison was inspired by close friend Adam Sedgwick, who named the Cambrian Age, employing the Latin word for Wales. In 1835, the two presented a paper together entitled On the Silurian and Cambrian Systems. Their separate categorizing systems caused a serious enough disagreement over chronology that the friendship ended bitterly. The alternative name for Siluria was Gotlandia after the Baltica island of Gotland. 
  What ultimately precipitated these subdivisions in the chronology was a “famous unconformity” on the River Onny in Shropshire. It indicated a natural break within “classic Silurian on its own home territory.” The timeline for beginning and end dates has remained imprecise, but the order of fossilized discoveries has proven correct. Joachim Barrande, a French paleontologist, geologist, and botanist, pursued the same issue in the Prague Basin of Bohemia. Studying the Paleozoic trilobite for a period of 10 years, his extensive work was published in his Silurian System of Central Bohemia. Altogether, he identified and analyzed over 4,000 new fossil species, producing the enormous Encyclopedia of Fossils, numbering over 6,000 pages.

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