Casablanca

Nothing spices up a couple's sex life faster and easier than a new position, and opening the pages of Sex Positions is like pouring gasoline on a fire. This sensually illustrated book guides lovers from the straightforward to the adventurous, from the bed to the table, and from "Who's on top?" to who's kneeling, standing, crouching, and holding which limb where.

General readers finally have a substantive resource for information on a country most known in the United States for the Humphrey Bogart classic Casablanca, images of the souks (markets), hashish, and Berber rugs. The strong introduction surveys the people, land, government, economy, educational system, and history. Most weight is given to modern history, with French colonial rule ending in 1956 and a succession of monarchs since then. The discussion of religion and worldview illuminates the Islamic base and Jewish communities but is also notable for the discussion of Berber beliefs in spirits. In the Literature and Media chapter, the oral culture of the Berbers and the new preference for Western-style education and use of French and even English are highlights. The Moroccans are renowned as skilled artisans, and their products are enumerated in the Art and Architecture/Housing chapter, along with the intriguing descriptions of casbahs and old quarters in the major cities. Moroccans are hospitable and family oriented, which is reflected in descriptions of their cuisine and social customs.

Sometimes, when I’m wandering in an art museum looking at the relics of an ancient civilization, I find myself wondering how a future society would represent a defunct American culture. What objects would be chosen—or would survive—to be placed on display? Would I agree with a curator’s choices? Were I to choose the items that some future American Museum of Art should exhibit to represent twentieth-century American culture, here are some I would name: an Elvis Presley record; a Currier & Ives print; a movie still from Casablanca. To put it a different way, my priority would not be to exhibit fragments of an urban cathedral, a painted landscape, or a formal costume. I wouldn’t deny such objects could be important artifacts of American culture, or that they belong in a gallery. But in my avowedly biased opinion, the most vivid documents of American life—the documents that embody its possibilities and limits—are typically found in its popular culture.

This book highlights original research and recent advances in various fields related to smart cities and their applications. It gathers papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Smart City Applications (SCA19), held on October 2–4, 2019, in Casablanca, Morocco.

Providing a unique opportunity to become acquainted with important movies and the elements of their greatness, this book offers a crash course in cinema, one designed to give even the novice reader a solid introduction to this complex and multifaceted medium