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  A Book of Noises - Notes on...

  Caspar Henderson

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  Sound shapes our world in invisible but profound ways, and here Caspar Henderson brings his characteristic curiosity, knowledge and sense of wonder to the subject to take us on an exhilarating journey through the heard universe. 
  A Book of Noises gathers together sounds from the cosmos, the natural world, the human world, and the invented world, and contains quiet pockets of silence. From the vast sound of sand in the desert to the tuneful warble of a songbird, to the meditative resonance of a temple bell and the improvisational melodies of jazz, this is a celebration of all things auricular. 
  The preface is read by Cerys Matthews, and the rest of the book by the author

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  Female Trouble - A Screenplay

  John Waters

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  “Burroughs famously dubbed Waters the Pope of Trash. Female Trouble, we might say, is his Summa Trashologica.” —Ed Halter, The Criterion CollectionListen as Waters himself acts out each role!It all goes to hell when Baltimore bad girl Dawn Davenport doesn’t get the cha-cha heels she’s been demanding for Christmas. In this hilarious, irreverent, pyrotechnic melee of high-trash hijinks, Dawn ruins Christmas, skips town, and embarks on a wild ride that involves hitchhiking, robbery, murder, pregnancy—and, of course, modeling and glamour, too. The second installment of John Waters’ classic Trash Trilogy, Female Trouble explodes conventional norms of good behavior (and art) and is all the proof you’ll ever need that sometimes being bad can feel so, so very good.A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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  The Gothic Cathedral -...

  Harris Ropes

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  The origins of Gothic architecture lie in the transition from the Romanesque style that dominated Europe in the early medieval period. Romanesque churches, with their thick walls, small windows, and rounded arches, provided a sense of solidity but limited natural light and height. By the 12th century, new architectural innovations emerged, driven by a desire for greater verticality, spacious interiors, and an infusion of divine light. These aspirations led to the birth of the Gothic style, first appearing in France before spreading across Europe. 
  One of the key figures in this transition was Abbot Suger of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, near Paris. In the 1130s, he initiated the reconstruction of the abbey church, incorporating pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and extensive stained glass windows. Suger believed that light was a manifestation of the divine, and through these architectural changes, he sought to transform the church into a place of spiritual illumination. His innovations set a precedent for what would become the defining characteristics of Gothic architecture. 
  The pointed arch, a hallmark of the Gothic style, replaced the rounded arch of the Romanesque period. This architectural shift was more than an aesthetic change; it allowed for greater structural efficiency, enabling builders to construct taller and more spacious interiors. The ribbed vault, another significant innovation, helped distribute weight more evenly, allowing for thinner walls and the introduction of expansive stained glass windows. These windows, often adorned with biblical scenes, served both a decorative and didactic function, educating the largely illiterate medieval population about religious narratives.

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  Muisca Confederation - The Land...

  Rolf Hedger

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  The Muisca Confederation was one of the most sophisticated political entities in pre-Columbian South America, emerging in the highlands of present-day Colombia. The origins of this powerful society can be traced back to the earliest inhabitants of the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes, a region characterized by fertile valleys, cool mountain climates, and abundant natural resources. Over time, these early settlers developed complex social structures, agricultural techniques, and political institutions that would form the foundation of the Muisca Confederation.  
  The first groups to settle in the high-altitude plateaus of the Andean region arrived thousands of years ago, likely migrating from Central America or other parts of South America. These early inhabitants lived in small, semi-nomadic communities, relying on hunting, fishing, and rudimentary farming. As they adapted to their environment, they developed advanced agricultural methods, cultivating maize, potatoes, quinoa, and other crops suited to the high-altitude terrain. The fertile lands and steady supply of food allowed for population growth, leading to the establishment of permanent settlements. 
  As Muisca society evolved, it became increasingly hierarchical, with distinct roles emerging among its members. The transition from small, scattered villages to organized chiefdoms marked a significant turning point in their history. Power began to concentrate in the hands of local leaders, or caciques, who governed their respective communities. Over time, these leaders expanded their influence, forming alliances and asserting control over larger territories. The most powerful of these rulers eventually became the Zipa of Bacatá and the Zaque of Hunza, the two principal leaders who governed the northern and southern regions of the Muisca Confederation.

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  The Alchemist

  Ben Jonson

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  An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country, leaving his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into 'Captain Face', and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman and Dol Common, a prostitute.    In The Alchemist, Jonson unashamedly satirizes the follies, vanities and vices of mankind, most notably greed-induced credulity. People of all social classes are subject to Jonson's ruthless, satirical wit. He mocks human weakness and gullibility to advertising and to "miracle cures" with the character of Sir Epicure Mammon, who dreams of drinking the elixir of youth and enjoying fantastic sexual conquests. The Alchemist focuses on what happens when one human being seeks advantage over another. In a big city like London, this process of advantage-seeking is rife. The trio of con-artists - Subtle, Face and Dol - are self-deluding small-timers, ultimately undone by the same human weaknesses they exploit in their victims.

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  Starstruck - My Unlikely Road to...

  Leonard Maltin

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  Hollywood historian and film reviewer Leonard Maltin invites listeners to pull up a chair as he tells stories, many of them hilarious, from fifty-plus years of interacting with legendary movie stars, writers, directors, producers, and cartoonists. Maltin grew up in the first decade of television, immersing himself in TV programs and the 1930s and ’40s movies hitting the small screen. His fan letters to admired performers led to unexpected correspondences, then to interviews and the publication of his own fan magazine. Maltin’s career as a freelance writer and New York Times bestselling author, as well as his thirty-year run on Entertainment Tonight, gave him access to Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Shirley Temple, and Jimmy Stewart, among hundreds of other Golden Age stars, his interviews cutting through the Hollywood veneer and revealing the human behind each legend. Starstruck also offers a fascinating glimpse inside the Disney empire, and Maltin’s tenure teaching USC’s popular film course reveals insights into moviemaking along with access to past, current, and future stars of film, such as George Lucas, Kevin Feige, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro.

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