Art Study

Thousands have been captivated by the spiritual themes that underlie Tolkien's imaginative fiction. In Finding God in The Hobbit, Jim Ware indulges readers with an exploration of the spiritual significance of J. R. R. Tolkien's famous children's classic. As they are acquainted with Tolkien's message of transcendent truth, readers will see how God is mysteriously at work even in everyday moments. A reflection summarizes each chapter's main insight.

How do we expect public art to function in a contemporary society? By public art, we mean art that to some extent at least ambushes us. We encounter it as we go about our everyday lives, not in some special art-dedicated space. In other words, certainly not in a museum. However, Aida Mahmudova notes, in her introduction to this public art project for Baku organized by Yarat! Contemporary Art Space, conditions for public art are now very different from the way in which art of this kind operated previously.

Back in January 1995 in Los Angeles, California, a Singaporean pornstar named Annabel Chong took cultural rebellion to an extreme, on terms that had never been negotiated before. She was filmed having sex with a long receiving line of men, servicing them 251 times over a ten-hour period to set a new world record: The World’s Biggest Gangbang.

A Thousand Cuts is a candid exploration of one of America's strangest and most quickly vanishing subcultures. It is about the death of physical film in the digital era and about a paranoid, secretive, eccentric, and sometimes obsessive group of film-mad collectors who made movies and their projection a private religion in the time before DVDs and Blu-rays.

In The Time of My Life, celebrated music journalist Andrea Warner excavates the layers of Dirty Dancing, from its anachronistic, chart-topping soundtrack, to Baby and Johnny’s chemistry, to Bergstein’s political intentions, to the abortion subplot that is more relevant today than ever. The film’s remarkable longevity would never have been possible if it was just a throwaway summer fling story. It is precisely because of its themes—deeply feminist, sensitively written—that we, over 30 years later, are still holding our breath during that last, exhilarating lift.

Britain’s Culture Minister, David Lammy, recently suggested that the history of slavery should be made a compulsory part of the nation’s school curriculum. Mick Hume, a columnist in The Times, promptly retorted, “Slavery and the Holocaust are now likely to be taught as little chunks of history, removed from any proper context. They become simplistic parables of good and evil, over which children are encouraged to emote and empathise...." How well founded was this criticism?

Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham have brought together this collection of work - essays, memes, dialogues, recipes, tweets, poetry, and more - to tell the story of the radical, imaginative, provocative, and gorgeous world that Black creators are bringing forth today. The audiobook presents a succession of startling and beautiful pieces that generate an entrancing rhythm: Listeners will go from conversations with activists and academics to memes and Instagram posts, from powerful essays to insightful infographics.

G. K. Chesterton was a journalist, playwright, poet, biographer, novelist, essayist, literary commentator, editor, orator, artist, and theologian. Orthodoxy is his great apologia for the Christian faith, which was prompted by a serious attack in 1903 against Christianity by well-known newspaper editor Robert Blatchford.

They've traded punches in knockdown brawls, crashed biplanes through barns, and raced to the rescue in fast cars. They add suspense and drama to the story, portraying the swimmer stalked by the menacing shark, the heroine dangling 20 feet below a soaring hot air balloon, or the woman leaping nine feet over a wall to escape a dog attack. Only an expert can make such feats of daring look easy, and stuntwomen with the skills to perform - and survive - great moments of action in movies have been hitting their mark in Hollywood since the beginning of film.

This is the tale of Amy and her daughter and the people who helped raise them after Amy found herself a reluctant single parent. It is a story of frequent failures and surprising successes, as Amy starts and loses careers, bumbles through blind dates, and travels across the country with her daughter. All roads, though, lead them back to her hometown of Freeville (pop. 458), a tiny village where Amy's family has lived for over 200 years.

Are you ready to delve into the powerful world of manipulation techniques and dark psychology? Whether you seek to protect yourself from the subtle forces of manipulation or learn how to ethically influence others, this book is your ultimate guide to understanding the depths of the human psyche. Learn the basic psychological principles that underlie all forms of manipulation, including cognitive biases, emotional triggers, and social dynamics.

Generation after generation, women have faced the devastating reality that Hollywood is a system built to keep them out. The films created by that system influence everything from our worldviews to our brain chemistry. When women's voices are excluded from the medium, the impact on society is immense. Actor, screenwriter, and award-winning independent filmmaker Naomi McDougall Jones takes us inside the cutthroat, scandal-laden film industry, where only five percent of top studio films are directed by women and less than 20 percent of leading characters in mainstream films are female.

As a unique individual who is a human embodiment of the One Universal Consciousness, you may have some questions about how to properly operate your vehicle. Wait no longer! This audiobook covers the basics: the nature of reality as a unified energetic system; the evolution of human consciousness; how the human body and mind function according to fractal energetic principles; the nature of the ego; unitary consciousness and mystical experience; navigating human cultures, religions, and belief systems; death; and meaning of it all!

"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson is a brutally honest self-help book that challenges conventional wisdom about happiness and success. Manson argues that embracing life's inherent struggles and choosing meaningful values over fleeting pleasures is the key to a more fulfilling existence. Through witty and irreverent prose, he encourages readers to confront uncomfortable truths, let go of societal pressures, and focus their energy on what truly matters.

"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson is a brutally honest self-help book that challenges conventional wisdom about happiness and success. Manson argues that embracing life's inherent struggles and choosing meaningful values over fleeting pleasures is the key to a more fulfilling existence. Through witty and irreverent prose, he encourages readers to confront uncomfortable truths, let go of societal pressures, and focus their energy on what truly matters.

Did you ever think about where your jeans come from? How about the people who made your T-shirt, or what happens to the clothes you grow out of when you're done wearing them? The fabrics clothes are made of, the way they are designed and sewn and shipped around the world, and the way we consume them and get rid of them - every step in this process has a big impact on our environment, on the people who work in clothing factories, and on our cultures.

Frank Peretti is the ever-witty character Mr. Henry, telling some of the most popular and beloved stories from the Bible in his own unique style. Combining imaginative storytelling and absolute truth, Salvation follows Jesus through his last days on Earth, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his stand before Pilate to Peter's denial and Jesus' appearance with Mary and the Disciples after the resurrection.

Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration offers an unusual and irresistible look at her life and her myriad interests and accomplishments. Created by the people who know her best - her longtime friends Marcia Ann Gillespie and Richard A. Long, and her niece, Rosa Johnson Butler - it captures Angelou at home, at work, and in the public eye.

The Gospel According to Breaking Bad takes a thoroughly Christian look at AMC's popular and critical TV hit. Covering such weighty theological issues like identity, death, justice, power, fate, free will, and the gospel itself, listeners will be coerced into thinking more deeply about the universal questions Breaking Bad asks. In sections covering the colors and metaphors of Breaking Bad, fans will also come to a further appreciation for one of the most well-done TV series in recent history.

In this fascinating and deeply researched book, Sharon Marcus challenges everything you thought you knew about our obsession with fame. Icons are not merely famous for being famous; the media alone cannot make or break stars; fans are not simply passive dupes. Instead, journalists, the public, and celebrities themselves all compete, passionately and expertly, to shape the stories we tell about celebrities and fans. The result: a high-stakes drama as endless as it is unpredictable.